Agusta set to bag Rs 3,900-cr VVIP chopper deal

Italian helicopter giant AgustaWestland, manufacturer of the state-of-the-art EH-101 choppers, is all set to get a contract for the supply of 12 helicopters to carry Indian VVIPs.
The deal is worth about 400 million Euros (2,600 crore rupees) but is expected to go up to 600 million Euros (3,900 crore rupees) as India is planning to ask the suppliers to install a few more equipments on the choppers. A Field Evaluation done by the IAF has recommended the EH-101, now known as AW-101 helicopters, as the machine that would be safe, spacious, high-powered and comfortable to be used to ferry the Indian president, prime minister, and other top VVIPs across the country.
The U.S. president uses the same helicopter, codenamed “Marine One”. The AW-101’s nearest competitor, American Sikorsky S-92 Superhawk, was found incompatible with the requirements of the IAF on several counts – mainly its capacity to carry the required number of people and power.
The S-92, a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certified helicopter, has so far clocked 77,000 fleet hours compared to AW-101’s 1,15,000 hours. The AW-101 is also based on Merlin Mk 3A machine, which is flying with the military forces of many western countries.
11/05/08 Shahid Faridi/Realpolitik

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Categories: Foreign May 2008, Indian Aviation- In General May 2008