Sikorsky’s commercial bid for multi-role helicopters (MRH), submitted some time ago, will be opened later this month, after which final price negotiations for 16 units will begin. Two bidders had previously been approved in the technical trials stage but the other contender was eliminated due to financial scandals.
The S-70B Seahawk is a 10-ton, twin-engine, ship-borne platform with advanced anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare capability manufactured by the United Technologies subsidiary in Connecticut. Under the terms of the tender, it will be customized for amphibious assault operations and will replace the Indian Navy’s aging fleet of Augusta Westland Sea King Mk42B/C helicopters. The long-pending acquisition of the 16 helicopters is critical for the navy since it is running out of choppers that can detect, track and kill enemy submarines. Indian Navy officers said MRH numbers were expected to increase to around 100 units in future for deployment aboard newer warships as they were commissioned. This is the first win for a defense application by storied maker of choppers. Textron’s Bell Helicopter unit has a strong presence in India already and Boeing has won some Apache business as well.
India’s Navy is also keen to kick-start a much bigger project for manufacturing 124 multi-role helicopters, armed with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and early-warning capabilities as well as customized for amphibious commando operations, in a project worth $3 billion.
