The Defence Ministry is set to float a Rs 3,000-crore global tender on Thursday to acquire 197 light helicopters for the Army and Air Force to replace their ageing Cheetah/Chetak fleets. The eagerly awaited request for proposals will clear the way for acquiring the much-needed replacement helicopters for the Armed Forces by 2010.

While the total requirement of light helicopters for the Armed Forces is 384, the MoD decided to split the contract into two parts to boost indigenous development. The remaining 187 helicopters will be manufactured by HAL, which has already launched a Rs 435-crore project to develop a completely new helicopter for the Armed Forces.

To meet the immediate requirement, tenders for the fast procurement of 197 choppers will be sent to six aviation giants, including Bell Helicopters (US), Eurocopter (European consortium), Rosoboron Export (Russia), Augusta Westland (Italy), Sikorsky (US) and McDonnel Douglas (US). The Army will get 133 helicopters while the remaining will go to the Air Force.

The winning bidder will need to comply with an offset requirement of 50 per cent and will have to transfer all maintenance-related technology to HAL under the deal. While the companies will be asked to reply to the tenders within one month, sources say the ministry is keen to complete technical evaluations by the end of 2009.

The ministry has for the first time mandated that a joint team of Air Force and Army officers carry out the trials and prepare a joint report on the bidders. A HAL official is also expected to be part of the evaluation team.