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Indian Navy Leases Civilian Choppers for Logistics Amid Fleet Upgrades

The Indian Navy has wet-leased two Augusta Westland-139 helicopters from the civilian operator Global Vectra for logistics operations. The choppers are deployed for non-military transport to ships under the Navy's Western and Eastern Commands. This lease comes as the Navy's ALH Dhruv helicopters faced prolonged grounding due to technical issues. The move is part of broader naval helicopter procurement programs, including acquisitions from HAL.

Key Points: Navy Wet-Leases Augusta Choppers for Logistics Support

  • Two AW-139 helicopters wet-leased
  • Contract signed with Global Vectra
  • For Western & Eastern Commands logistics
  • Non-military transport use only
  • Follows grounding of ALH Dhruv fleet
2 min read

Indian Navy wet leases two Augusta Westland-139 choppers from Indian helicopter operator

Indian Navy leases two AW-139 helicopters from Global Vectra for non-military logistics transport to ships, amid ongoing fleet modernization.

"The Indian Navy will not use them for any military operations and will keep them for transporting logistics to the ships"

New Delhi, February 25

The Indian Navy has wet-leased two Augusta Westland-139 choppers from an Indian civilian chopper operator for carrying out logistics operations.

Indian Navy officials said that one of the two choppers taken on wet lease from the Indian civilian chopper operator Global Vectra has already been deployed for logistics operations on one of the two sea boards in the country.

The contract for the wet-leased programme was signed a few months ago, and the Indian Navy will not use them for any military operations and will keep them for transporting logistics to the ships, they said.

The two choppers have been contracted for wet leased for the Western and Eastern Commands of the Indian Navy, and the force may take a call on increasing the number of leased choppers after getting feedback from the formations on the ground.

The Indian Navy has multiple chopper procurement programmes at the moment, including the acquisition of UH Marine choppers from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Naval Utility Helicopters project and the force is also looking at inducting large-size multirole choppers.

The move to lease choppers came around the time when the Indian Navy ALH Dhruv choppers remained on the ground for a long time, and even now are flying under observation. The choppers had to be grounded for a long time due to technical defects, which came to light after a Coast Guard chopper crashed in Porbandar.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting to see this public-private partnership. Using civilian assets for non-military logistics frees up naval assets for core duties. Hope the feedback from the Western and Eastern Commands is positive so they can scale this up.
R
Rohit P
The grounding of the ALH Dhruv is a serious concern though. We spend so much on indigenous programs, but then technical defects halt operations. Hope HAL sorts this out quickly. Leasing is a good stop-gap, but we need reliable homegrown machines in the long run.
P
Priya S
Logistics is the backbone of any force. Efficient transport to ships is crucial. This seems like a practical solution. Also good for the Indian operator Global Vectra - supporting our defence needs. Jai Hind!
A
Aman W
With multiple chopper projects (UH Marine, NUH) in the pipeline, I hope this leasing doesn't become a permanent crutch and delay the actual inductions. We've seen procurement delays for decades. Speed up the HAL projects, please!
M
Michael C
A sensible, fiscally responsible approach seen in many modern militaries. It allows for operational flexibility without the massive capital outlay and long-term maintenance of owning the assets. The key will be the terms of the lease and ensuring readiness.

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