New Delhi: The design, development, and manufacture of multi-role helicopters for the armed forces, with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), four or five private firms, could well be one of the most ambitious defence projects in India in the 75 years of its Independence reports Times Now.

It will be using the Special Purpose Vehicle or SPV, with the government paying for some of the research and development costs involving HAL and other private firms.

Discussions for this multi-role helicopter project are ongoing in the defence ministry. There is a talk of over 400 such helicopters being manufactured. What is important to note is that such a project, looking at it from the long-term perspective, has rarely been considered where everyone is involved including the defence ministry, a public sector firm in HAL, private sector firms and of course, the armed forces.

The development cost being talked about is about Rs 15,000 crores and the development time is estimated to be eight years. The current plan is for limited series production of the chopper in the ninth year. And if everything goes according to plan, full production after that.

The development cost being talked about is about Rs 15,000 crores and the development time is estimated to be eight years. The current plan is for limited series production of the chopper in the ninth year. And if everything goes according to plan, full production after that.

While the project, with the Indian Air Force as the lead organisation among the services, is still in the discussion stage, the fact that the 'Atmanirbharta' or self-reliance model is being followed could ensure that it could get the go-ahead. So far, it hasn’t reached the Defence Procurement Board. And only after clearance by the Defence Procurement Board will it reach the all-important Defence Acquisition Council headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh.

In a decade, many helicopters being used by the armed forces could well be outdated. This could be an opportunity for Indian designers to produce a helicopter for use over three or four decades. If successful, this could be a model to follow in the future.