India reaches out to US, France for twin-engine naval helicopters

The Indian Navy has sent formal letters to embassies and manufacturers like Airbus, outlining requirements for a 5-tonne-class, all-weather helicopter with folding blades. (A representative image)

The government has reached out to at least the United States and France to explore government-to-government procurement of twin-engine light naval utility helicopters (NUHs) to augment the maritime capability deficiency.

According to sources privy to the development, the Indian Navy wrote letters at least to the embassies of the United States and France and to some manufacturers, such as Airbus, a European aerospace corporation, for procurement of all-weather twin-engine NUH. 

In the capability requirement priority, the Indian Navy stated that the copter, among other things, should be in the 5-tonne category and have folding blades to meet the long-standing requirement of 111 of them for operating from warships to shore and vice versa.

The government is looking for possible emergency procurement of the NUH for the Indian Navy though the letters did not specify the quantity required, sources stated.

The move comes as leading defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has begun the production of 60 deck-based utility helicopters maritime (UHM) after deciding to fund the project in 2023. This was after HAL had given up its NUH project in the past. 

Sources said that the design of the 5.8-tonne category UHM, which will also have folded blades to allow the platform to enter a hanger in the hull of a warship, is almost complete, and the project will enter the next phase of gear-box testing. 

As per the HAL’s timelines, the UHM is expected to fly in the first quarter of next year, and the defence PSU will be in a position to deliver the rotary-wing aircraft in 2027.

In between, it will take a year for different certifications and rigorous test flying, sources explained.  

However, the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard are already using 16 naval versions of the Dhruv Mark III helicopters each.

The Indian Navy also operates 24 MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters of US origin, which have different operational requirements, after their commissioning in March 2024. 

These copters are meant for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, and other operations.

Airbus from France remains a contender for global procurement of NUH, given that it already has H-135, H-145 and H-160 copters in that twin-engine light copter category.

Besides this, the Indian Coast Guard’s demand for 14 twin-engine heavy-lift copters is also pending for at least the last 7 years. 

Though the two countries decided suddenly to end hostilities on Saturday, which had been going on since May 7 after India carried out aerial strikes, dismantling 9 terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India had reached out to friendly foreign countries as well as the Indigenous industries for emergency procurement of ammunitions and certain armaments, sources pointed out.

For the domestic players, the MoD has asked them to share their product profiles and their ability to push production timelines if needed. In some cases, orders were also issued, like to drone manufacturers for supply, as such platforms were extensively used for surveillance as well as explosive attacks across the border in Pakistan.

Even defence PSUS like Munition India Ltd were told to expedite their production schedules to meet the requirement of uninterrupted ammunition supply in case the battle with Pakistan lasted long and to replenish the war reserve.

Published on May 10, 2025