By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — In India's first helicopter competition reserved for domestic defense companies, teams have been established between top defense companies Larsen & Toubro with Airbus Helicopters and Tata Advanced Systems with Sikorsky Aircraft to produce a light utility helicopter (LUH).
Other corporate arrangements include Mahindra Defence Systems teaming up with Bell Helicopter and Punj Lloyd with Russian Helicopters. The domestic companies have to respond by Feb. 17 to a request for information (RFI) they received in October to provide the helicopters on a Buy and Make (India) basis in the $2.5 billion tender.
State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics also is negotiating a tie up with Russian Helicopters.
None of the overseas or domestic companies would discuss their partnerships.
A Ministry of Defence official said there is no certainty that the helicopters built by the domestic companies would be cheaper than importing them directly.
Read the full story at DefenseNews