A 4-day-long seminar is to take place in Chennai from today to discuss about the modalities to be included in the annual maintenance contract (AMC) with regard to the helicopters the country has acquired from Russia for its defence forces.  Important decisions are likely to be taken at the military-cum-technical seminar/symposium.

Indian Air Force and Indian Navy have plenty of choppers procured from Russia including the MI 8/17, MI 26, MI 25, KA 25, KA 28 and the KA 31 brands.  In fact, most of the choppers in the IAF’s fleet are manufactured and supplied by Russia.  India and Russia jointly manufacture a few choppers including the KA 226D brand.

Russia is to soon sell to India MI 171 A2 brand choppers having state-of-the-art technology. The agreement to procure the same was inked last year itself and now the proposed symposium is to discuss the modalities of maintaining those choppers.  It would also decide about the amount to be paid as AMC to Russian technicians who manufactured those choppers.

It is also likely that India might successfully convince Russians to agree to take on AMC not only the choppers purchased recently/to be purchased but also all the choppers supplied by it in the past.