NEW DELHI – The Indian Navy has been waiting for years to replace itsdecades-old multi-role naval SeaKing helicopters which it acquired in 1978.
India and the US are likely to sign a $2 billion Romeohelicopter deal inthe next few weeks after Naval chief Admiral Karambir Singh indicated thata final contract was almost ready.
“Letter of Acceptance from the US for 24 MH-60R multirole helicopters ishere and the deal is expected to sign shortly,” Singh said.
India and the US have been engaged in talks since April this year and it isexpected that they will review their entire defence relationship during thenext India-US 2+2 dialogue on 18 December in Washington. The two countriesare also expected to sign the Industrial Security Annex (ISA)link.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency has already delivered therequired certification, notifying Congress of the possible foreign militarysale of these multi-purpose helicopters for an estimated $2.6 billion.
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The Romeo helicopter is equipped with APS-153(V) multimode radars whichwould help the Indian navy in anti-submarine warfarelink,anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
The acquisition is the first part of a plan to expand multi-role helicopterslinkinthe medium-term to replace the ageing Seakings.
