Russian Helicopters, part of State Corporation Rostec, and its CEO Andrey Boginsky took part in the Indo-Russian military industrial conference in New Delhi, from March 17 to 18. At the conference, Boginsky described key directions and prospects for development of the after-sales service system specifically for Indian operators of Russian helicopters.
India is one of the major operators of Russian-made helicopters. Currently, there are more than 400 helicopters in operation there, which is almost 10 percent of the Russian Helicopters’ global fleet used outside of Russia. The existence of such a large helicopter fleet and prospects of its further increase make the setup of efficient after-sales services especially relevant in India.
Within the frame of providing after-sales services to its customers, Russian Helicopters is actively developing a “single-window” format, which is aimed at building strategic relationships with helicopter operators and implies long-term agreements and transition to a service format that covers the whole helicopter life cycle.
“We suggest shifting to long-term framework contracts with fixed procurement prices, defined annual increases and maximum delivery timeframes/service windows of three to five years,” said Boginsky. “It would allow to reduce times needed to supply spare parts and provide services, and, as a consequence, would ensure high operability of the Indian helicopter fleet.”
Currently, as part of the “Make in India” program, a joint Russo-Indian project is underway to build Ka-226T light helicopters in India. A JV created by Russian Helicopters, JSC Rosoboronexport and India’s HAL Corporation will produce 200 light multirole Ka-226T for various purposes. Russian Helicopters is interested in active involvement of Indian companies in the production of spare parts, as well as technical maintenance and repairs.
