The Indian Army plans to start the operation of a range of Helicopters as part a deal signed in 2015 with India for 22 Apaches and 15 Chinook Heavy-lifters for the Indian Air Force (IAF). Six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters are among the highlights of the deal.
The Indian Army Aviation Corps (AAC) and IAF have debated if who will operate the attack helicopters for six years. The recent status of the deal might simmer the discussion again. In 2012, the Ministry of Defence assigned the ownership, operation, and maintenance of the helicopters to the AAC. However, the status of the assignment is still debatable. The Indian Army Chief, Bipin Rawat, said on January 10 that the IAF will get receive the Apaches first and their set of Apaches will then follow.
The army chief acknowledged that the control of the helicopters is the major issue that is currently being addressed and he added that a consensus on the role and charter for which they are inducting the Apache is still being reached by the two services. He commented that the army feels that the Apache is a tank-killer and should support and be grouped with the strike/attack formation to support tanks, infantry, and combat vehicles "in a three-dimensional approach."
The then-Air Chief Marshal Nak Browne said in 2012 that the integration model around the world is working and they can't have their little air forces growing and doing their own thing. One army officer said that in years to come, the IAF will be ensconced in the strategic domain of air power and heavy lift while the army will tend to the tactical needs of the environment. He added that the domains are not in conflict but in concert.
Rawar said that he is satisfied with the performance of the Rudra, the Weapon System Integrated (WSI) Mk-IV variant of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter. The Rudra is the first weapon equipped India-made helicopter. The army chief said that they ordered a timeline to the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) in fixing the issues on the rockets and missiles equipped in the Rudra. He said that an interim import will be done in the case that the DRDO fails to do the job at the given time. He added that the helicopter is the right kind of machines that they need for their services. He also said that they need to use the planes during the Bangalore Air Show in February.
