Vijay Times(28-06-2006)
http://vijaytimesepaper.com/
Bell copters fair well at all-weather trials
New Delhi: Major helicopter manufacturer Bell, which is in the race to sell
197 choppers to the Indian Army, on Tuesday said its flying machines had
successfully completed weather trials, meeting all the Indian requirements.
"The Bell 407 Shens have completed all-weather trials including hot and cold
weathers and have met all the requirements of the Indian Army," US-based
Bell Helicopters Director for International Military Sales Jay Ortiz said
here.
Besides Bell, the Eurocopter of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space
consortium (EADS) is vying for the deal, which is estimated at about $ 400
million.
Ortiz said while 60 of the 197 helicopters would be delivered in a fully
configured frame, the remaining are to be manufactured in cooperation with
the HAL in Bangalore.
"For this, we have a complete technology package ready", he said, adding
that there would be a phased production plan for the manufacture of these
choppers in India.
The Bell official, who was accompanied by Director Greg Hubbard, said as
the helicopters are built in batches, "we will be providing fewer number
of kits to enable HAL make them indigenously".
HAL, Bell chief B S Singhdeo said, has already assembled one Bell-407 for
civilian use in April this year. "This will help us in transferring technology
of the Bell-407 for military use to the HAL," Ortiz said.