Ref; previous post
Ahh what fun times those were... What a difference a year makes.. I'm still in India, still flying the same area, but now with a different company...
Some India news already mentioned elsewhere on the forum..thought I'd post it here as well:
Jayanth Jacob, Hindustan Times
Govt invites chopper bid for anti-Naxal operations
With Indian Air Force choppers tied up in United Nations peacekeeping roles, the government has floated a global tender on Wednesday to hire more than a dozen MI-17 all-weather choppers to ramp up air support for security forces engaged in anti-Naxal operations.
The armour-plated choppers — to minimise damage from firing — will be used for evacuating casualties, search and rescue operations, movement of armed troops and surveillance.
Central and state security forces have just half-a-dozen choppers deployed on anti-Naxal duties and have been seeking more aerial support.
The IAF had earlier made it clear that it would not be able to spare more choppers for anti-Naxal operations.
"Since the air force was falling short of choppers, we had received approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security to hire choppers on wet lease," a home ministry official said.
This means that the successful bidder would have to provide necessary crew, maintenance as well as insurance. The contract would be valid for a year in the first instance, extendable up to three years.
The home ministry will have the operational control of the helicopters.
The shortage of crew and spare-parts has been hampering the existing chopper-fleet run by the Border Security Force in anti-Naxal and other operations.
The government wants the choppers to be civil registered but has specifications of a military mould such as slithering facilities and armour plating.
The ministry has also insisted that the choppers have a minimum airlift capacity of 18-20 fully equipped personnel and fly to air destinations at least 400 km without refuel.
HindustanTimes-Print
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