India has received the first two multi-role helicopters from the USA, which last year had signed a $2.13 billion (Rs 15,157 crore) agreement to sell 24 such choppers to the Indian Navy as a replacement for its Sea King fleet.
At a ceremony held at the naval air station, San Diego on Friday, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to the USA, accepted the two MH-60R choppers that would be used in anti-submarine warfare.
“MH-60R helicopter is an all-weather helicopter designed to support multiple missions with state-of-the-art avionics and sensors. Twenty-four of such helicopters are being procured under the Foreign Military Sales from the US government. The helicopters would also be modified with several unique India-specific equipment and weapons,” said a Navy spokesperson.
“The induction of these MRH would further enhance Indian Navy’s three-dimensional capabilities. In order to exploit these potent helicopters, the first batch of Indian crew is presently undergoing training in the USA,” he added.
The Navy desperately requires choppers because the blue water force is currently operating nearly 140 ships and submarines without an adequate number of helicopters.
The old Sea Kings that operated from the decks of the first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant retired in the early 1990s while a few helicopters from the two subsequent lots are still flying but not in their designated role in anti-submarine warfare as they are too old.
Because of such a critical shortage, the Navy was pushing the Defence Ministry for nearly 12 years to buy multi-role helicopters for deck-borne operations. However, multiple previous efforts to purchase such choppers failed before the US deal materialised last year. India will get all 24 helicopters by 2023.
However, there is not much progress yet in the Navy's bigger plan of 123 naval multirole helicopters to adequately arm all of its warships.
(Published 17 July 2021, 15:55 IST)
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