It’s been a quarter century since the Indian Air Force acquired helicopters, and some of its rotor machines, the Chetak or Aerospatiale Alouette in particular, are of a much older design and vintage.

The acquisition process for the Indian Armed Forces suffered badly in the wake of the politically-inspired inquiries after the V P Singh government took over in 1989, and successive governments did not show any stamina to ensure that equipment renewal and augmentation requirements of the three Services, paramilitary organizations and intelligence bodies were expedited.

At least, any cases with allegations of corruption could be put aside for looking into while all other requirements were allowed to go through the normal procedures.

Pakistan deserves the credit, partially at least, to kick-start the Indian acquisition process by its Proxy and terror War against India, then by triggering the 1999 Kargil War, and in 2008, by the 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai, in which its notorious sabotage outfit ISI was possibly also involved.

Well, the good news is that the process for the induction of a new generation of helicopters for utility, combat and heavy lift has begun. At the time of writing this piece, IAF and the Indian Army are busy evaluating the utility helicopters from different countries in the deserts of Rajasthan and the Himalayan mountains around Leh. End June or July onwards, trials for IAF’s combat helicopters would begin on the same lines, and within July perhaps, these would be followed by trials of the heavy lift machines.

The utility helicopter, whichever is chosen, would come with Transfer of Technology (ToT) and would be available to the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and other bodies once the indigenous production lines are set at HAL.

IAF has already placed an order for 80 Mi 17-1V helicopters as a replacement for its older
Mi 17s and Mi 8s. According to Ministry of Defence sources, their delivery is around the corner. IAF has already firmed up an order for 12 VIP role AgustaWestland AW 101 rotor machines.

Notably, IAF has also concluded the Field Evaluation Trials (FETs) of the Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (M-MRCA).

It seems the sun is shining again for IAF. With newer machines and systems, augmented with contemporary state-of-the-art technology, IAF will match its motto of Touching the Sky with Glory.