India scraps Russian helicopter buy and looks at more Rudras
India could well order additional Rudra helicopters, an armed version of the Dhruv from HAL. (Gordon Arthur)
India’s MoD has abandoned the planned $1.1 billion procurement of 48 Mi-17V-5 helicopters for the Indian Air Force (IAF), paramilitaries and federal interior ministry, in favour of acquiring indigenously-developed rotary-winged platforms.
Approved in 2018, these Mi-17V-5s were to supplement 151 similar platforms that India acquired from 2008-16 for $2.87 billion. Of these, 139 were weaponised versions for the IAF, and the remainder for paramilitary forces and interior ministry.
Senior military officers said the decision to cancel the Mi-17V-5 buy was in order to push for the induction of more twin-engine Rudra Advanced Light Helicopter - Weapon Systems Integrated into both
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
How do we detect and defeat enemy drones?
Learn about the portfolio of sensors and effectors for the complete counter-UAS mission at Raytheon, an RTX business.
-
BAE Systems lauds counter-UAS drone progression with live fire trials
The US-based tests successfully demonstrated the first live trial of a precision guided missile from a modified TRV-150 drone which destroyed both aerial and ground targets.
-
India readies private sector push as AMCA moves towards 2028 prototype
India’s stealth fighter ambitions gain fresh momentum as HAL opens the door to private sector involvement in AMCA Mk1A structural assembly, with strategic support growing for next-gen propulsion and sensor technologies.
-
BAE Systems reveals new GCAP demonstrator design with plans to fly by 2027
A key part in the trinational Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), this is the first crewed supersonic aircraft demonstrator to be built and developed in the UK in more than 40 years.
-
Kratos Defense makes European CCA push with Airbus partnership
Kratos’ XQ-58A Valkyrie will be equipped with an Airbus-made mission system to be offered as a ‘European’ collaborative combat aircraft option to the German Air Force.
-
Anduril’s Barracuda-100M completes latest successful test flights
The munitions variant of the Barrauda-100 autonomous air vehicle is being tested for the US Army’s High-Speed Manoeuvrable Missile (HSMM) testbed programme, with further flight tests expected in 2026.