SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Following the Indian government’s decision to lift the 2021 ban on Italian defense firm Leonardo, the company has actively begun marketing its AW109 TrekkerM Light Utility Helicopter to the Indian Army, capitalizing on the stalled $1 billion deal for 200 Russian Kamov Ka-226T helicopters.
The delay in the Kamov deal, marred by issues over French Safran engines and insufficient indigenous content, has opened the door for Leonardo to position the AW109 TrekkerM, a three-tonne class, twin-engine, multi-role helicopter, as a viable alternative to replace the Army’s aging Cheetah and Chetak fleets.
According to sources cited by Indian Defence Research Wing (idrw.org), while the AW109 TrekkerM and India’s indigenous Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) serve distinct roles, Leonardo’s offering brings advanced capabilities suited for high-altitude operations, aligning with India’s urgent need for modern rotary-wing assets under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
The Indian Army and Air Force have a combined requirement for approximately 400 light utility helicopters to replace the obsolete Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which have been in service since the 1960s. In 2015, India and Russia signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters, with 60 to be imported directly and 140 to be manufactured locally by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a new facility in Tumakuru, Karnataka. The deal, valued at over $1 billion, was touted as a flagship “Make in India” project but has faced repeated delays due to multiple issues.
Key stumbling blocks include disagreements over the level of indigenization, with Russia proposing a phased localization plan starting at 3.3% for the first 35 helicopters and reaching only 62.4% by the fourth phase, falling short of India’s 70% indigenous content requirement, as reported by The Hindu in 2021. Additionally, the Ka-226T’s reliance on French Safran engines raised concerns about potential U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), especially amid frosty India-U.S. relations in late 2023. The lack of progress, coupled with no mention of the deal during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2023 visit to India, has led to speculation that the contract may be scrapped entirely, as noted by The Wire in December 2021.
The lifting of the 2021 ban on Leonardo, previously imposed due to allegations of corruption in the 2010 VVIP helicopter deal, has allowed the Italian firm to re-enter the Indian defense market. Leonardo is now aggressively promoting the AW109 TrekkerM, the military variant of the AW109 Trekker, as a ready-to-deploy alternative to the Ka-226T. Designed as a three-tonne class, twin-engine, multi-role helicopter, the AW109 TrekkerM is tailored for a broad spectrum of missions, including troop transport, cargo resupply, external lift, Casualty Evacuation/Medical Evacuation (CASEVAC/MEDEVAC), Search and Rescue (SAR), special forces operations, Command and Control (C2), and armed escort, according to Leonardo’s specifications.
Key features of the AW109 TrekkerM include:
- High Performance and Hot-and-High Capability: The helicopter’s twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C engines provide excellent performance in high-altitude environments like the Himalayas, critical for operations in Siachen and along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. Its service ceiling of 6,000 meters and maximum speed of 285 km/h surpass the single-engine HAL LUH’s capabilities.
- Advanced Avionics: The AW109 TrekkerM features a low-workload glass cockpit with multi-function displays (MFDs), Synthetic Vision System (SVS), Highway In The Sky (HITS), and Helicopter Terrain Avoidance Warning System (HTAWS), enhancing situational awareness and safety.
- Mission Flexibility: The helicopter’s spacious cabin, large sliding doors, and modular design support rapid reconfiguration for troop transport (up to six personnel), medical evacuation, or armed roles with optional internal and external weapons, including machine guns and missile pods.
- Rugged Design and Skid Landing Gear: Its compact footprint and skid landing gear enable operations in austere environments, including small landing zones in mountainous terrain, a critical requirement for the Indian Army.
- Optional Equipment: The AW109 TrekkerM supports a Defensive Aids Suite (DAS), Electro-Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) sensors, Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR), searchlights, rescue hoists, and cargo hooks, making it versatile for maritime and land-based missions.
Sources familiar with the matter, as reported by idrw.org, emphasize that the AW109 TrekkerM’s twin-engine configuration offers enhanced safety and payload capacity compared to the single-engine HAL LUH, positioning it as a complementary rather than competing platform.
Leonardo has proposed local manufacturing through partnerships with Indian firms , which could align with the MoD’s push for indigenization. Unlike the Ka-226T, which struggled to meet the 70% indigenous content requirement, the AW109 TrekkerM could leverage Private sector to achieve higher localization, potentially exceeding 50% through phased production,
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