India scraps attack copter tender: official

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India said Tuesday it had scrapped a tender for 22 attack helicopters as three international firms vying for the multi-million-dollar deal had been unable to meet the military’s requirements.
“The request for the proposal (RFP) was cancelled last week after the three companies could not meet the qualitative requirements,” Indian Defence Ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar told AFP. “A fresh RFP will be floated shortly,” Kar added, without specifying when the global tender would be issued.
A Ministry source said the attack helicopter tender, floated last year, was worth nearly $550m.
The three companies which were in the race for the contract were Russia’s Kamov, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) company and Italian-British group Agusta Westland, spokesman Kar said.
The source added EADS, which owns the world’s largest helicopter-maker Eurocopter, was ready to bid again for the 22 high-altitude machines India needs for its troops patrolling LoC with Pakistan.
EADS, meanwhile, has also expressed interest in collaborating with India in producing a trainer version of an indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) which now is under field trials.
“EADS has shown interest in the LCA trainer,” India’s chief military scientist M Natarajan told reporters separately on Tuesday.