NEWS
Overruling stiff opposition by the Indian Air Force (IAF), the government has allowed the Army to have its own attack helicopter units, meeting its long-time demand. The Defence Ministry has also decided that all future acquisitions of attack helicopters will be made for the Army while the IAF can retain its two squadrons of Mi-35 attack helicopters along with the soon-to-be-procured 22 Apache choppers. “We have received a letter from the Defence Ministry and we have been given the attack helicopters by the government,” said Army Chief General Bikram Singh. However, the Defence Ministry has allowed the IAF to retain the medium-lift choppers including the Mi-17s.

VIEWS
The top brass of the Indian Army would have ample reasons to feel exhilarated with the abovequoted Ministry of Defence (MoD) letter, suggesting their aggressive campaign amongst the top echelons of the government for the Army to have its own full-fledged air wing, which includes attack helicopters, had finally paid off. But if the various caveats attached to the MoD announcement are taken into account, the much trumpeted Army’s achievement would turn out to be nothing but a feeble victory—full of holes. First, the Indian Air Force (IAF) would continue to retain the medium-lift helicopters including the Mi-17s and the latest—in the pipeline – Mi-17 V-5. Second, the IAF would not only continue to retain its fleet of Mi-25/Mi-35 fleet but would also be the recipient of the yet to be ordered fleet of 22 Apache Longbow AH-64D attack helicopters from Boeing. What does this point at?

As stated, while the selection may have been made, the ‘Apache’ deal is yet to be inked. Even if the deal is signed straight away, it would take approximately 36 months before the first batch of the Apache Longbows gets inducted into the IAF. Once fully inducted, these attack helicopters would continue to serve in the IAF for three to four decades. In addition, the present fleet of Mi-25/Mi-35 attack helicopters would serve the IAF for another decade or two. The story doesn’t end here. Along with the Army’s order for 114, the IAF has also placed an order for 64 indigenous light combat helicopters (LCH), to be produced by Hindustan Aeronautics, which are nothing else but smaller ‘attack helicopters’. These helicopters are capable of carrying out practically all the tasks assigned to their bigger siblings, albeit with lesser armament load. Once inducted, these could see service in the IAF right up to the end of first half of the current millennium.

In light of the above, the MoD’s announcement is more of rhetorical value than of real substance as, in all probability, it has understood the IAF’s argument that attack helicopters are not only meant for providing close air support to the Army in the tactical battle area (TBA), but also to cater for other missions that are entrusted to the Air Force—variously described as air defence against slow moving aerial targets (e.g. enemy helicopters and UAVs), destruction of enemy’s air defence (DEAD) missions, escort to special heli-borne operations (SHBO), close interdiction, counter-insurgency operations (COIN), urban warfare and in support of combat search and rescue (SAR) operations—to name but a few. Therefore, the announcement by MoD might actually be more in the nature of an exercise to put its relations with the Army on an even keel—which had been disturbed by the outgoing Army Chief’s ‘date of birth’ episode—than to deprive the Air Force of its legitimate requirement of attack helicopters.