Russia Offers India 320 Combat Helicopters

Russia Offers India 320 Combat Helicopters (NSI News Source Info) BANGALORE, India - February 14, 2009: Russia is ready to provide India with a total of 320 military helicopters and hopes to expand cooperation, an executive of a Russian helicopter making plant said on Friday. "We have presented to the Indian Defense Ministry, as well as to other government agencies, our line of new models and modernized helicopters," said Igor Pshenichny, deputy general director of the Helicopters of Russia holding. The Mil Mi-28 is a Russian all-weather day-night military tandem two-seat anti-armour attack helicopter. It is a dedicated attack helicopter with no intended secondary transport capability, better optimized than the Mil Mi-24 for the anti-tank role. It carries a single gun in an undernose barbette, plus external loads carried on pylons beneath stub wings. Speaking at the Aero India 2009 show, he added that his company, in conjunction with Russia's state-controlled arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, was participating in a number of tenders, in particular involving the Ka-226T multirole helicopter and the Mi-28H Night Hunter helicopter gunship. He said the company was also in talks with the Indian Defense Ministry on the modernization of radar systems installed on Ka-31 helicopters used by the Indian Navy. Pshenichny also said Helicopters of Russia would invest $1.5-2 million in building a helicopter maintenance and service center in northern India.