India’s MoD revives RfI for 200 advanced light helicopters

The Crumbling Legacy: Why Chetak and Cheetah Must Go

India’s light helicopter saga dates back to the 1960s, when over 600 Chetak and Cheetah units—licensed-built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under French Aérospatiale agreements—became the backbone of Army and IAF reconnaissance. These single-engine workhorses excelled in Siachen’s rarified air and Ladakh’s rugged terrain, enabling troop insertions, casualty evacuations, and surveillance amid the 1999 Kargil conflict. Yet, by 2025, their obsolescence is stark: average fleet age exceeds 40 years, with serviceability rates dipping below 50% due to spare parts shortages and structural fatigue. Recent crashes, including a fatal Cheetah incident in Arunachal Pradesh in early 2025, have amplified calls for urgent replacement, exposing vulnerabilities in high-altitude ops where alternatives like the HAL Dhruv remain limited in numbers.

The RfI’s revival comes after a decade of procurement hurdles. Initial bids in 2010 for 187 RSH units faltered amid vendor disputes and the 2015 Russia Ka-226T deal’s collapse—derailed by sanctions and tech transfer snags—leaving a 400-helicopter gap. With vendor interactions held on August 22 and responses due by October 18, 2025, the MoD aims to finalize qualitative requirements under the “Buy and Make (Indian)” category, mandating at least 60% indigenous content.

Aatmanirbhar at the Helm: HAL’s LUH Takes Center Stage

Enter the HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)—a 3-tonne, single-engine marvel designed since 2009 to fill this void. Achieving Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) in 2021 after high-altitude trials up to 6,500 meters in Siachen, the LUH boasts a 1,000 kg payload, glass cockpit, and Shakti-1U engine co-developed with Safran. Despite autopilot certification delays pushing deliveries to mid-2025, HAL eyes up to 400 units, including 225 for the Army (with 110 in cost negotiations) and potential exports to Argentina.

HAL’s production ramp-up to 30 units annually at Bengaluru aligns with Aatmanirbhar goals, integrating over 250 Indian suppliers for avionics and composites. The RfI’s flexibility for single- or twin-engine bids favors LUH, sidelining pricier foreign options amid local content mandates. As HAL CMD D.K. Sunil noted at Aero India 2025, “This isn’t just replacement—it’s a leap in indigenous rotary-wing tech.”

Mission Versatility: Roles in a Contested Sky

The new rotorcraft must excel in diverse, demanding scenarios:

• Reconnaissance and Surveillance: Day/night ops with electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) pods for border intel, scouting alongside attack helos like the LCH Prachand.
• Troop and Load Transport: Ferry 5-6 troops or 800 kg external slings for quick-reaction teams in Ladakh or Arunachal.
• Casualty Evacuation and SAR: Crash-resistant tanks and medevac kits for Siachen’s -40°C extremes.
• Support Missions: Internal/external loads for logistics, anti-tank scouting, and disaster relief in flood-prone Northeast.

Max takeoff weight: 3.15 tonnes; endurance: 2.7 hours; speed: 260 km/h. These specs ensure seamless integration with theater commands, enhancing joint ops amid China-Pakistan threats.

Vendors in the Ring: Indigenous Edge Over Global Giants

While HAL leads, the RfI invites competition: Airbus H125 (partnered with Tata for 2026 FAL in India), Bell 407GXi, and Leonardo AW119Kx offer twin-engine redundancy but face ToT hurdles. Private players like Tata Advanced Systems could JV for assembly, echoing the ₹62,700 crore LCH Prachand deal with HAL in March 2025—90 for Army, 66 for IAF—creating 8,500 jobs. This procurement could spawn an export pipeline, with LUH eyeing Latin American markets.

As negotiations heat up, the LUH program heralds a new era: from legacy crutches to self-forged wings. For India, it’s more than rotors—it’s resurgence.