NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Sunday issued a request for information (RFI) for the procurement of 76 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.
According to the MoD, of the 76 helicopters, 51 will be for the Navy and the remaining 25 for the Coast Guard. These helicopters will replace the ageing Chetak helicopters and will be inducted for maritime search and rescue, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions, and low-intensity maritime operations.
“The helicopter should be capable of operating from ship and ashore. Towards maritime surveillance and targeting capability, weapons to meet the envisaged role would be required to be integrated with the helicopters,” the MoD stated. Vendors are required to submit their responses by October 17, 2025.
As per the RFI, the helicopter should be twin-engine, equipped with wheeled landing gear and blade-fold capability, with the maximum all-up weight not exceeding five tonnes.
The RFI marks the first step in the procurement process to gather general information about potential products, services, and suppliers before issuing the formal proposal.
The helicopter will be procured under the ‘Buy and Make (Indian)’ category and should be able to perform maritime search and rescue, casualty evacuation, medical evacuation, communication duties, aerial fire-fighting and low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) by both day and night.
According to the MoD, “‘Buy & Make (Indian)’ category refers to an initial procurement of equipment in Fully Formed (FF) state in quantities as considered necessary, from an Indian vendor engaged in a tie-up with a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), followed by indigenous production in a phased manner involving Transfer of Technology (ToT) of critical technologies as per specified range, depth and scope from the foreign OEM.”
Under this category of procurement, a minimum of 50% Indigenous Content (IC) is required on the cost basis of the Make portion of the contract. Acquisition under this category can also be carried out without any initial procurement of equipment in FF state.
The Chetak helicopters have been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) since 1962, under an agreement with the then French company Sud-Aviation. The first Chetak (Alouette III) in ‘Fly Away’ condition was delivered in 1965. The Chetak helicopter is a two-tonne class, seven-seater versatile, multi-role, multi-purpose aircraft.