The government is likely to invite global bids for $600-million medium to heavy-lift helicopters by the middle of 2008, vice president and general manager of Boeing Company?s Rotorcraft Systems Chuck Allen said on Friday.
Talking to mediapersons here, Allen said, ?We responded to their request for information (RFI) for our Chinook helicopters sometime around July.? The twin-rotor Chinook CH-47 can fly up to 20,000 feet and carry up to 55 soldiers.
At an informal discussions with the Indian Air Force (IAF), Boeing has stressed the advantage Chinook has because of its high altitude and lift capability in hot conditions, something the IAF is looking for given the diverse geographical locations it needs to cover.
?The Chinook goes places where other helicopters cannot go. It is the only helicopter in Afghanistan with a capability to fly at high altitude,? Allen said.
The heavy-lift Chinook is a multi-role chopper with military and civilian uses, including humanitarian relief operations.
Boeing officials are currently in the country to make a presentation on the Chinook and also to assess the customer?s interest to get an indication of the IAF requirement.
?It was essential to determine the timeline for the IAF requirement since this would enable the company to reserve slots in its production line for India,? said Allen. He said, ?If the order goes beyond a timeframe, we might have to look at a new production line to accommodate India?s needs.?
Presently, the delivery time from the day the order is given would be 30 months, however, the company is working at reducing it to 25 months.
Boeing is looking at co-producing parts of the Chinook in India in an attempt to partially fulfill its 50% offset obligations it will be required to undertake if it bags the order for 126 medium multi role combat aircraft (MMRCA) for the IAF.
The tender for this was issued last month. The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is one of the six aircraft in the competition. The company, which has already signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with companies like L&T, Wipro and Tata Power, as also the Indian Institute for Science, will be looking to source aircraft parts including hydraulics and machining.
