Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence to make 197 Kamovs

By Sangeeta Saxena       

New Delhi. In yet another feather in Anil Ambani led Reliance Group’s already full cap, the company has signed a Rs 6,000-crore ($925 million) deal to make 197 Kamov helicopters for the Indian defence forces.

               

Matching steps with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative, this will be executed under a Joint Venture between Kamov and the chopper arm of Reliance Defence post acquiring an industrial licence. It may be recalled that the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar cleared the proposal in May, 2015.The Maharashtra government on recently alloted 289-acre land in Mihan SEZ, Nagpur,  to Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group. The land has been allotted to Reliance Aerostructure — the defence arm of Reliance ADA Group. On this land, the Reliance ADA Group plans to build world-class Dhirubhai Ambani Aerospace Park (DAAP), which will set up assembly lines and manufacturing facilities of fixed wing aircrafts, aerostructure for commercial transport aircraft, Helicopters for defence and commercial use.

During the Russia-India conference on after-sales service for Russian-made helicopters recently, Russian Helicopters (part of State Corporation Rostec) proposed developing the after-sales service provision for Russian-made helicopters operated in India.

A long-term contract between India’s Army, Navy and Home Affairs Ministry and Russian Helicopters is one of the steps envisaged as part of these improvements to the after-sales system. This contract will have a term from three to five years and will boost cooperation on after-sales service for helicopters, while also making it possible to establish a system for further cooperation under contracts.

Another key step in further developing after-sales service systems for Russian-made helicopters operated in India involves delivering the latest ground-based service and equipment testing facilities, improving these operations and automating a number of technical maintenance and helicopter repair procedures.

It may be recalled that Russian Helicopters signed a generic MoU with Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence and Aerospace, under which the Reliance Group is pursuing most of its defence ventures. This MoU is not directed towards any specific contract, but speaks of broad-ranging cooperation in helicopter building.

Russian Helicopters plans to build new infrastructure and upgrade existing facilities for the maintenance and repair of Russian-made helicopters. The first step will focus on modernising helicopters already supplied, in particular their gears, fuel system, radio-navigation equipment and communications systems, fitting them with new engines and auxiliary power units, and also modernising helicopters to boost protection against terrorist threats.