REPORT: Russia Loses Indian Attack Chopper Deal


Russia’s RIA Novosti news service reports today that the Russian Mi-28N Night Hunter has lost out in the Indian Air Force’s competition to acquire 22 attack helicopters. The Mi-28N competes against the American Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow Block-III (photo). The news service quotes an Indian MoD official as saying, “We decided not to choose the Mi-28 for technical reasons. Our experts believe that the Mi-28N did not meet the requirements of the tender on 20 positions, while the Apache showed better performance.”

It has been unofficially known for a while now that the Indian Air Force placed the Boeing rotorcraft above the Mi-28N in its staff evaluation report submitted to the Indian Ministry of Defence. IAF sources said the the trial team marked the Apache consistently over the Russian contender in trials that were held mid-2010 at a desert air base in Western India and the world’s highest airfield, Leh, in the Himalayas.

Photo / Mad House Photography

23 thoughts on “REPORT: Russia Loses Indian Attack Chopper Deal”

  1. Lakhs of engineering students and research fellows are passing out in India, but still we are importing our defence goods from foreign countries without developing for any indigenous productions. Foreign assistance can be sought for developing fighter jets, submarines, aircraft carriers but it is expected to develop, design and produce attack choppers, howitzzers, tanks in our country.

  2. Its clearly an outcome of american influence. The purchase makes no sense especially when LCH is well on track and work on armed-dhruv is also progressing well. Its a proof that American lobbyists still work inside and outside of Indian Armed forces.

  3. lakhs of Engg students are passing…they don't do projects ,they buy projects in the final year!!! its not the fault of these young fellows..its the fault of corrupt professors and faulty education system.

  4. @12:29
    LCH is a light helicopter. It is not a heavy attack chopper. LCH have lighter engine and cannot upgraded to a heavy chopper like apache

  5. Hi Shiv,
    Any idea, when this deal will be signed. I am sure, Pranab mukherjee does not have the balls to coerce the armed force to accept Russian deal or face scrapping the bid. I am sure, he is in a hurry to sign the deal with the americans.
    Regards
    Abhishek

  6. I am normally not a proponent of the russian equals junk theory. But this has to be the easiest decision this year. The Apache has no comparison. Period

  7. Comparison charts are meaningless. The Apache is a time tested buy the Mi-28 is a paper tiger. As i said just no comparison. The Russians make good stuff but here they just dont compete.

  8. Not surprised .. a number of Indian Army Aviation Corp. helicopter pilots were training in US for more than 6 months since last year !

  9. Sad. Sad. We are going to keep Boeing factories running after buying this 1980s designed helicopter. Way to go Indian Airforce. Wonder how much has Boeing paid to get this deal.

    The double standards of airforce visible here. 80s designed helicopter is good but lca is not.

    What else can we expect?

  10. People, Before you bad mouth Russia, stop to think for a moment. Russia is a time tested friend. Yes, they have arm twisted us, gone back on the agreed prices, given bad quality spares, and pretty much given a tough time to Indian military; but make no mistake, they are our time tested friends. I hope Russia does something about these. But, India nor Indians should ever forget what Russia did for us.

  11. Prranjal Shrivaastav

    It's a disgrace for us & especially IAF for shortlisting a helicopter from a country that had long denied us accesss to it's arsenal & has slammed tremendous banns thus creating a havoc in the Indian defense & national security scenario. civilians aside, it's a big shame to see the Indian air force has forgotten all the history of how they were defied the technological advancements from around the world by USA, which even postponed the Indian LCA program too. now when our own LCH is in process, the low morale air force of India is so tempted to try it's stinky hands on a longbow. sometimes i wonder whether the word INDIAN is just a racial slang such as NIGGER or was it purposefully designed to reflect the dimwit Indian attitude?

  12. Prranjal Shrivastav

    Russian arsenal is far better than that of US or Europe. Those who think that Russian technology is all junk aren't the ones who have either used it or ever experienced it's capabilities & impact. The MIGs, T60s & T72s that Indians had been using against Pakistan were all Russian where as the war hardware that Pakistanis had used till date is all American & it's a fact thus proving the might of Indian military along with Russian technology that Pakistan had lost all the wars against us. The people who have anonymously commented against Russia over here, are majorly Americans & Europeans who are scared to their grave about the Indo-Russian venture. The MIR space station was launched by Russia in an era when NASA was studying the impacts of re-entry in the Earth's atmosphere. Yuri Gagarin was the Russian astronaut who shot the footage of Earth & it's outer atmosphere for the purpose of training given to Neil Armstrong & others like him. Sukhois, MIGs, FGFA, Brahmos, MIs & a whole lot of cutting edge technology co-developed by the help of Russia is what that can be termed as jewel in the crown of mother India. As far as Apache is concerened, it's only been tested agianst iraq, iran & taliban. neither of whom even posseses a decent transport helicopter. Longbow have a very short throw against Russian, French, English, Swiss & German counterparts. It's never been actually tested against any competition at all therefore all of it's praisings are nothing but a myth.

  13. Prranjal Shrivastav

    Russian arsenal is far better than that of US or Europe. Those who think that Russian technology is all junk aren't the ones who have either used it or ever experienced it's capabilities & impact. The MIGs, T60s & T72s that Indians had been using against Pakistan were all Russian where as the war hardware that Pakistanis had used till date is all American & it's a fact thus proving the might of Indian military along with Russian technology that Pakistan had lost all the wars against us. The people who have anonymously commented against Russia over here, are majorly Americans & Europeans who are scared to their grave about the Indo-Russian venture. The MIR space station was launched by Russia in an era when NASA was studying the impacts of re-entry in the Earth's atmosphere. Yuri Gagarin was the Russian astronaut who shot the footage of Earth & it's outer atmosphere for the purpose of training given to Neil Armstrong & others like him. Sukhois, MIGs, FGFA, Brahmos, MIs & a whole lot of cutting edge technology co-developed by the help of Russia is what that can be termed as jewel in the crown of mother India. As far as Apache is concerened, it's only been tested agianst iraq, iran & taliban. neither of whom even posseses a decent transport helicopter. Longbow have a very short throw against Russian, French, English, Swiss & German counterparts. It's never been actually tested against any competition at all therefore all of it's praisings are nothing but a myth.

  14. hey pranjaal why dont you ask the russians that if we are to go to war with china will they fight on our side.russian equipment is junk like the mig 21 flying coffins .cheap is always useless.the recent sukhoi crash in indonesia proves it. The long bow is tested in 4 wars.People like you of cold war mind set is the reason that china is bullying us and u and you are helping the corrupt congress govt.american tech is at least a generation ahead of russia and see the misreable state of all the recent wars iraq,libya,afghanisthan where russian equipment was literally thrashed.I dont want joint production of substandard equipment.wake up the cold war is over and with that if alliances are not changed china will maraud us you fool and people like u will be held responsible.

  15. hrishikesh
    did u think much before commenting?
    sure the helicopter is from 80s but do u think the "D" and "longbow block 3" in the name have been added to make it sound cool? usa has always been very keen on keeping with the tech and times

  16. usa is the country that kills millions of ppl and ruin the country to consume its oil using the word NATO and UN….do u think it attacked iraq,libya,.etc to pulldown the dictators no its not..it wil occupy a country by invading,form a puppet government then it will be largest oil impoter(robbery) of tat country…

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