Aviation Research Centre wants four US-made Ospreys
NEW DELHI: The Aviation Research Centre (ARC) that comes under the Cabinet Secretariat is keen to acquire four V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft from the US through the government to government military sales route. The ARC needs the Ospreys for personnel evacuation in hostile conditions, logistic supplies and deployment of Special Frontier Force (SFF) on the borders. As of now eight Ospreys have been inducted by the US for Nepal earthquake relief and rehabilitation. The total deal would worth be around $300 million.
Impressed by the use of Ospreys by US Special Forces in Afghanistan, the ARC is understood to have asked BellBoeing, the joint US manufacturers of the aircraft, for price and availability of the revolutionary tilt rotor machine in late February this year. This was after the agency showed interest in the aircraft last December. The cost and availability details were been supplied to the ARC for purchase under the foreign military sales route.
Used in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan operations by the US Marines, the Osprey has a distinct advantage over conventional helicopters in terms of long range and higher speeds. The aircraft has a range of over 1,600km and reaches speeds of up to 450kmph.
It can carry 30 fully armed troops for insertion or 12 patients on stretchers with four medical attendants in case of medical evacuation. The plane can take off vertically like a helicopter or from a short runway. It is also used for transporting troops and supplies from mainland bases to aircraft carriers on the high seas.
The ARC is a government agency that is tasked with surveillance, signal intelligence, and aerial reconnaissance using its fleet of aircraft and special airports. A key task of ARC is evacuation of Indian personnel as is the transportation of the SFF troops in case of hostilities.
AIRCRAFT WERE USED IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN AND LIBYA OPERATIONS BY US MARINES