VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the benefits of Ka-226T (NATO reporting name: Hoodlum) light utility helicopters that Russia plans to deliver to India under the intergovernmental agreement signed in 2015.
"I flew on this helicopter, I liked it, it’s really comfortable. It’s good because it has coaxial rotors, there is no back rotor, so it is good with lateral wind pressure in the mountains and over the sea," Putin told his Indian colleague, adding that this technology helps helicopters to land on a marine vessel.
New Delhi acquires the Ka-226T in order to replace the out-of-date Chetak (a locally built copy of the Aerospatiale Alouette III light utility helicopter) and Cheetah (a locally built copy of the Aerospatiale SA-315B light utility helicopter) light rotary-wing platforms of the Indian Army (IA) and the Indian Air Force (IAF). India has ordered 140 Ka-226Ts produced in India with the level of localization going up to 50-70% and 60 helicopters delivered from Russia.
Modi also examined the Mi-171A2 helicopter. Russia will start exporting these helicopters to India under an existing contract.