EADS backs out of 22 attack helicopters contract, won’t give machines for trials

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New Delhi: Eurocopter, the helicopter-manufacturing unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co (EADS), which had pitched its Tiger attack helicopter for the tender of 22 attack helicopters, has decided to stay away from the contract. The company has also expressed its inability to field its machines for trials of the heavy lift machines. The contract for 22 attack helicopters is approximately worth $600 million.

According to highly placed industry sources, “Eurocopter will not participate in the attack helicopter tender because the ‘Tiger HAD’, that is to be fielded for the trials, is in its last stage of development and will not be ready by mid-2010 (as scheduled).”

“However, if the trials were to happen in late 2010, they will be able to participate. The European helicopter company has submitted to the MoD a document explaining the reasons in detail and have also clarified that the product is fully compliant with the requirements of the request for proposal (RFP),” sources said.

It maybe recalled that India had re-tendered for the attack helicopters, allegedly, to accommodate the US companies, which had previously withdrawn from the earlier tender.

This is the second time the country has issued a tender for attack helicopters. The RFP for attack helicopters from foreign vendors has a chequered history with proposals from three suppliers being rejected earlier, as they failed to conform to specifications laid out in an RFP issued on May 23, 2008. When a technical evaluation of the proposals revealed lack of compliance, the RFP was withdrawn on March 9, 2009 and a fresh RFP issued on May 25, 2009.

Earlier, there were five contenders including Textron’s Bell Helicopter unit, the AgustaWestland AW149 a unit of Finmeccanica SpA, Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow, Eurocopter Tiger HAP and Mil Mi-28.

However, the country’s requirement for direct commercial purchase left Bell and Boeing stumped as their products were available on a government-to-government basis, because of the weapons content, through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. Getting FMS clearance meant missing the tight tender deadline, so the two US manufacturers decided not to bid.In August this year, US-based Bell Helicopters withdrew the AH-1Z Super Cobra for a $600 million tender for attack helicopters in India.

“Although Bell did consider offering its AH-1Z, we will be declining the opportunity to participate in the [request for proposal] process because the AH-1Z has not yet completed its operational evaluation process with the US Navy,” the company release had said.