Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

HAL and Argentina Defence Ministry sign LoI for light and medium utility helicopters

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and the Ministry of Defence of Argentina on Thursday signed a letter of intent (LoI) on productive cooperation and acquisition of light and medium utility helicopters for the armed forces of the Argentine Republic.

The LoI was signed by Argentinian Defence Minister Jorge Taiana and C.B. Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL, in the presence of Francisco Cafiero, secretary of International Affairs, ambassador Hugo Javier Gobbi, and ambassador Dinesh Bhatia.

Mr. Taiana said the day was interesting and a step on the road to an evergrowing and strong collaboration with HAL.

Second South American country

This is the second time a South American country has expressed interest in HAL-manufactured helicopters. It can be recalled that Ecuador had procured seven advanced light helicopters (ALH) Dhruv in two batches — five in 2009 and two in 2011 — in a deal worth $45.2 million. However, following four crashes, Ecuador terminated the contract with HAL in October 2015. Apart from Ecuador, HAL has also exported ALH Dhruv to Mauritius and Maldives.

During the daylong programme, Mr. Taiana and his team viewed the flying display of various HAL products at HAL Airport. The defence PSU said that the Argentine team also paid a visit to Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, Helicopter Division, and evinced keen interest in HAL products.

LCA Tejas

Argentina is said to have evinced interest in LCA Tejas.

During Aero India earlier this year, Mr. Ananthakrishnan said that the PSU had made proposals for the sale of 15 Tejas aircraft to Argentina.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.