Afghanistan turns to India for attack choppers, but not made in India
In order to help fight growing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, the newly appointed president, Ashraf Ghani, has turned towards India for military assistance. Afghanistan seeks to purchase four attack helicopters from India, a small but significant deal after India's loss of $45 million deal with Ecuador recently. In a major blow to India's plan to export its advanced light helicopters, Dhruv, Ecuador cancelled its deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the "crash-prone" choppers.
When it comes to India-made choppers, even Indian Air Force believes that India needs more than just single engine light helicopters, that can be used only for logistic supplies and air-lifting. India currently possesses Russian made attack helicopters - Mi-25 and Mi-35, which the Afghan government also seeks to purchase from India whereas the armed forces have been urging the government to provide them with medium-lift attack helicopters like Apache and Chinook from the US.
Soon after the Afghan president took office, he mentioned that a wave of bombings was plotted in Pakistan region with Taliban aiming to take control over Kunduz in the north. And in order to retaliate the Afghan government needed some serious attack helicopters. For that matter, Afghan National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar will finalise four Russian-made Mi-25 series helicopters with India in his meeting in New Delhi this weekend. This move is likely to anger Pakistan but Afghanistan believes this move is largely in favour of Russian machines rather than towards India. Even the United States has agreed to supply light McDonnell Douglas MD 530 helicopters to Afghan forces, but they prefer Russian attack helicopters over MD 530, because the light American choppers don't come with advanced weapon systems.
"They (Afghan air force) have been going to many nations - it's not just been to Russia. They've been going everywhere they can trying to find what they can for that capability," said Brigadier General Christopher Craige, commander of NATO's air force training mission in Afghanistan.
Though this supply of assault helicopters will be India's first offensive weapon export since New Delhi signed a strategic partnership with Kabul in 2011, the deal doesn't offer something new to home suppliers. Make in India is no longer in the picture, because the induction of Mi-25 choppers is directly inclined towards Russian suppliers. However, the deal will help New Delhi to gain stronger regional relationship.