The Indian defence ministry has cleared two crucial deals worth more than $3.1 billion to equip the Indian Air Force with US-built attack and heavy-lift helicopters. India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar has sent the proposals to buy 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift copters — both platforms manufactured by US defence giant Boeing — to the Indian finance ministry for clearance, an Indian government official said on Monday.
The Apache proposal went to the finance ministry on April 23, while the one to buy Chinooks was sent last week. The proposals will later go to the cabinet committee on security, headed by PM Narendra Modi, for final clearance. The latest price extension granted by Boeing for the choppers is valid till June 30.
The deals are, however, not linked to US defence secretary Ashton Carter’s upcoming visit to India, beginning June 2.
The proposals have clauses to place follow-on orders for 11 more Apaches and four extra Chinooks. Both platforms have seen combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Boeing had beaten off competition from Russia, which had offered its Mi-28N Night Hunter and Mi-26 heavy-lift copters to the IAF.
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