Helicopters | The great rush for rotorcraft
As India faces an unprecedented demand for both military and civil helicopters, private firms are tying up with foreign companies to meet it. It could be an important moment for India's ambitions as a self-reliant aerospace base
India is heading into a helicopter supercycle—and this time, much of the demand is to be met not through foreign procurement, but via foreign partnership with top Indian defence firms. That is because a majority of the Indian military’s current rotary-wing inventory, inducted between the 1960s and 1990s, is nearing obsolescence. With demand for over 1,000 helicopters over the next decade, the armed forces have to replace a rapidly ageing fleet and build the capacity to meet operational needs across land, sea and high-altitude frontiers. From light utility helicopters supplying troops in extreme Himalayan conditions to multi-role and maritime platforms supporting an expanding security footprint, rotary aviation is becoming central to India’s defence modernisation.