India reopens hunt for reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters
HAL Light Utility Helicopter pictured during a test flight. (Photo: Indian MoD)
The extended deadline for vendors highlights the complexity of the procurement for India, with numerous vendors positioning themselves for the programme.
India’s stop‑start quest for 200 light reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters (RSH) has resurfaced after 15 years.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reissued a request for information (RfI) to replace around 270 of its ageing Chetak and Cheetah fleet crippled by unavailable rotables and a serviceability gap of nearly 37%, undermining the military’s high‑altitude readiness.
With frontline helicopters in high-altitude and border deployments long overdue for replacement, the Indian Army leased 20 light choppers last year to plug high-altitude gaps. During the short conflict with Pakistan, dubbed “Operation Sindoor”, vintage Chetaks and Cheetahs proved vital, rekindling the urgency for
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