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BAe, Israel Aircraft keen to market Indian chopper

BS Bureau

British Aerospace Systems and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd are in talks with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to market India's advanced light helicopter globally.

"The two organisations have said they would like to join hands and do marketing of ALH. They want to put their equipment on ALH platform and sell them to customers globally," HAL chairman and managing director N R Mohanty told a seminar on defence aerospace organised jointly by HAL and the Confederation of Indian Industry.

Mohanty said both the organisations have been asked to submit commercial proposals. He said the domestic requirement for ALH was around 300.

He said HAL expects to cross Rs 50 billion in turnover in three years. Its current turnover (2001-02) was Rs 27.30 billion. He said HAL expects a turnover of Rs 1 billion during 2002-03 compared with Rs 670 million in the previous year.

The government had sanctioned Rs 5 billion for HAL to establish facilities for production of India's ambitious light combat aircraft. Initially, HAL would produce eight LCAs under limited series production.

Mohanty said HAL had taken up manufacture of Sukhoi-30 MKI under technology from Russia.

In all, 140 numbers would be manufactured, with the first one expected to roll out in 2004 and the last in 2017. The whole project entails an investment of Rs 220 billion, he added.

A proposal for the development of light attack helicopter, a spin-off of the ALH, had been submitted to IAF, which is currently examining it, he said.

Mohanty said HAL would protect the interest of vendors by placing orders for five years should the quality and delivery schedules be good. He said the Indian private sector would supply ground handling equipment to Russia for its Sukhoi-30s as their prices were extremely competitive.

Chairman of CII's national committee on defence Atul Kirloskar said the government should jointly with the industry develop a product strategy and supplier development strategy. He said these strategies have to be followed by developing an enabling purchase policy and control mechanism.

Kirloskar said that without the government support and certain level of business commitment, industry cannot take on the role of indigenisation or development on its own.

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