India at present has more than 150 Mi-17 V5 helicopters, the last of which were delivered in January 2016. Most of the Mi-8s have, however, been phased out while some of the Mi-17s are still flying.
India and Russia hope to conclude a contract to purchase an additional 48 Mi-17 V5 medium lift helicopters by the end of this year, an official in Moscow said.
Aleksandr Mikheev, CEO of Rosoboronexport, the state agency for exporting defence equipment from Russia, said price negotiations are to start by August.
“We are holding negotiations with a view to sign a contract for 48 Mi-17 V5 helicopters. In July-August, we are starting price and contract negotiations within the framework of the applicable Indian procedure and we hope that we will reach agreement before the end of this year,” Mikheev told this visiting IANS correspondent.
“Our Indian partners know the programme very well. They have more than 300 helicopters belonging to the Mi-8 and Mi-17 family,” he added.
Read more at:Hindustan Times