Aero India 2017: Bell pitches 429 to Indian Navy



Bell has brought a navalised version of its 429 helicopter to Aero India in Bangalore to demonstrate its qualities to the Indian Navy (IN).The IN has released a series of RfIs to gather information about replacement options for its current and elderly fleet of Sea Kings and Chetaks. A formal RfP has not yet appeared, but Bell anticipates one could appear ‘in the not-too-distant future’. 

 Chad Sparks, Bell Helicopter’s director of strategic campaigns and business development, informed Shephard of the benefits the 429 would bring the IN for search-and-rescue, anti-surface warfare and utility missions from both shipborne and land-based locations. With around 100 naval helicopters needing replacement, this future requirement is extensive. Of course, Bell will face stiff competition from competitors such as Airbus. 

 India does not currently fly any Bell military rotorcraft. In the demonstrator shown in Bangalore, a multi-mission system is installed in the left side of the cockpit for a tactical weapons officer/co-pilot, while an electro-optical sensor was fitted under the nose. The latter was an Elbit Systems/Bharat Electronics Limited sensor, illustrating Bell’s willingness to support the government’s ‘Make in India’ policy.

  The demonstrator featuring wheeled landing gear was also fitted with mock-ups of survivability equipment (e.g. missile warning receiver and chaff dispenser) plus a rescue hoist and TrakkaBeam searchlight. A search radar would also be standard. Bell also offers kits for folding rotor blades. The naval 429 with a maximum take-off weight of approximately 3,400kg can carry six passengers, or two litters or a full load of cargo. Via a tie-up with Tata Advanced Systems forged last July, Bell Helicopter is strengthening its support network. This would offer advantages to the IN and the other armed services should it adopt the type. Sparks also highlighted commonality with commercial 429 platforms already operating in India as another benefit. IN personnel will be flown in the 429 during Aero India to give them their first experience of Bell’s offering. Sparks said the navalised 429 was being offered to India as it was a more cost-effective option than the UH-1Y Venom. Sparks said the 429 would be well suited to future Indian Coast Guard requirements too, as would the 525. 

 Bell Helicopter also took the opportunity presented by Aero India to promote the 407 for an Indian Army light surveillance requirement. Even further down the track, the V-22 or even the V-280 could find applicability for special forces and/or disaster relief missions. Bell envisions ‘real opportunities’ across the full spectrum of EMS, tourism, utility, VIP and law enforcement sectors in India too, although it sees a particular need to facilitate and foster the EMS sector. 

 There are currently 82 civilian Bell rotorcraft flying in India, with the 407 being the most numerous type. This figure equates to almost a third of the 300 or so commercial helicopters currently operating in the country. Bell Helicopter has a relationship with Dynamatic Technologies that dates back to 2014, and this has resulted in more than 50 helicopter cabins being delivered. Indeed, Dynamatic is set to become the sole supplier of 407 cabins as part of Bell’s global supply chain.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Network Centric Warfare Capabilities & INDIAN ARMED FORCES

Image
By: Next Generation Weapons Technology Network Centric Warfare and Indian Navy & IAF and land based units. More satellites will be launched as grid as launched previously. In addition to making platforms and infrastructure for network centricity, the Navy has also made organizational changes to create and efficiently manage the transition to seamless Network Centric capabilities. The creation of a new post of Assistant Chief of Naval S taff (Communications Space and Network Centric Operations) is step in the process to migrate from a ‘Platform Centric Navy’ to a ‘Network Enabled Navy’. During various exercises, Network Centric Warfare (NCW) has been one of the crucial aspects being validated. During the various coordinated exercises conducted by the Army with the Air Force, the endeavor has been to validate and integrate the use of all available assets, including satellites, UAVs and HUMINT (Human intelligence) to assist commanders at all levels in taking dynamic and pr
Read more

The Heat is on!! for INDIA as China Unveils its 5th Gen Stealth J20 Fighter Jet ; Pakistan expresses interest to buy

Image
China on Tuesday unveiled its J-20 stealth fighter jet at its biggest air show which will have major implications for India as it is the first indigenously-made fifth-generation Chinese aircraft which Pakistan has shown interest in acquiring. Two J-20 aircraft which made waves in the Chinese media in the last few years flew at the Zhuhai city air show where the Pakistan Air Force is also taking part flying with its J-17 Thunder jets which are jointly manufactured with China. This is the first, public show of the J-20 warplane. Pakistan, the largest importer of Chinese arms has said earlier that it is in talks with China to buy the FC-31 - an export variant of the same aircraft. The FC-31 was briefly flown in the 2014 Zhuhai airshow. The stealth aircraft is regarded as major breakthrough for China which is otherwise mostly reliant on Russian aircraft including advanced versions of Sukhois. India is yet to make stealth aircraft which can penetrate through enemy radars. The J
Read more

Where Is Article 370 Now!!!!, That Rohingyas And Bangladeshis Are Being Settled In Jammu And Ladakh ???

Image
Jammu is up in arms against the authorities. This time, it is not against discriminatory policies being pursued by the successive Kashmir-dominated and Valley-centric governments in Jammu & Kashmir since 1947, but against the settlement of Rohingyas from Myanmar in Jammu and Ladakh, both strategically vital for national security. According to the late Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the number of Rohingya Muslims living in different parts of Jammu city and around it, was 5,107 in 2010 (AINS, 10 October 2015). And, as per Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s June 2016 Assembly statement, there were 13,400 Rohingyas and Bangladeshis living in camps in Jammu. She said “Bathindi Ka Plot is home to the highest number of Rohingya Muslims” (The Hindustan Times, 5 December 2016). The break-up of Rohingyas settled in the state is as follows: Jammu – 5,086, Jammu’s Samba district – 634 and Ladakh – 7,664. The total number is 13, 334. The Jammu Chamber of C
Read more