India intends to buy 197 helicopters and the race to prove their mettle is on. One of the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers Eurocopter has emerged as the frontrunner with its AS550 C3 Fennec.

While The deployments and uses for helicopters are many, the most important function remains that of reconnaissance and surveillance. It is therefore natural that as India descends on a massive modernisation campaign, one of the most important requirements of the Indian armed forces is also that of reconnaissance and surveillance. India intends to buy 197 helicopters that can deliver flawlessly on this critical mission. The race to prove their mettle is on the world’s leading helicopter manufacturers, and one of the helicopters that have emerged as the frontrunner is Eurocopter’s globally coveted AS550 C3 Fennec.

According to Rainer Farid, Vice President, Sales, Asia Pacific, Eurocopter, “Extensive global experience tells us that reconnaissance and observation helicopters need to be capable of fulfilling various roles: personnel transport, escort and armed missions, casualty evacuation and observation. The three key expectations from a successful helicopter in this segment, therefore, are manoeuvrability, versatility and agility. This is what makes Eurocopter’s AS550 Fennec one of the most successful helicopters in the world for this kind of requirement.”

The success of Fennec clearly lies in its versatility. It is the only helicopter that is certified by internationally accredited military certification agency (French DGA under MoD). As an important advantage, Eurocopter has a manufacturing capacity of more than 300 Fennec/Ecureuil helicopters a year. Given a production rate of approximately one helicopter a day, Eurocopter is today best geared up to deliver the 197 units required by the Indian armed forces at the earliest.

The AS550 Fennec is the combat version of the Ecureuil family and is renowned the world over for its lethality. It can be fitted for anti-tank, air-to-air combat, ground support and training missions and it is also used in the utility transportation role.

The multi-role capabilities of the Fennec have made it a success with several countries like Australia, US, Brazil, UAE, etc. From the hottest of deserts to the highest of altitudes, the Fennec has the ability to map it all. In fact; in terms of temperature, it can function impeccably from –40° celsius to 50° celsius. This is what makes the Fennec areference helicopter for extremely hot/desert operations. Not only can it be deployed successfully at sea-level, it also holds the world record for landing on the top of the Mount Everest. It can execute forward speed and rapid ascent in record times, which makes it best suited for reconnaissance and surveillance activities. Given its abilities, it is a reference helicopter and definitely the best suited for the requirements of the Indian armed forces as they operate in the most extreme temperature conditions mapping the most challenging of terrains.

“The Fennec is our most advanced helicopter and it is a proven military helicopter including complete weapon systems, fully compliant with the quality requirements of the Indian Army and the Air Force. We have completed field trials and the Fennec has demonstrated excellent results, fully compliant with the expectations of the armed forces,” says Farid.

Talking about the global success of the helicopter, 155 AS 550 Fennec single-engine helicopters are in service with various armed forces in 16 countries including the Singapore Air Force, the UK Air Force, the Thai Armed Forces, the Brazilian Army and Air Force, the Ecuador Air Force, the Danish Army, the French Army, the United Arab Emirates Special Operations Command and the Royal Guard of Oman.”