India has a vast geography, with antagonistic neighbors in the north-northeast and west in the form of China and Pakistan. India has an enormous area to cover in the north where the elevation is too high for standard helicopters to carry logistics; hence India needs small utility helicopters to transport food and gasoline to stationed soldiers.
India has built its own helicopters, the Chetak (Aerospatiale Alouette III) and the Cheetah (Aerospatiale SA-315B), and has been using these since the 1960s, but these antiquated helicopters must be replaced with modern ones due to the lack of availability of spare parts. As a result, during Putin’s December 2014 visit to India, India began discussions with Russia about purchasing Kamov Ka-226T ‘Hoodlum’ light utility helicopters (LUHs) for US$1.2 billion.
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India sought to buy 200 Kamov Ka-226T helicopters under certain conditions, including the use of indigenous components on the helicopter and the manufacturing of 140 helicopters in India under license, indigenously. India and Russia negotiated the deal for six years, but the deal did not materialize because the Russian invasion of Ukraine exacerbated tensions between the US and Russia, preventing the sale of some spares from Western nations, such as the helicopter’s engine: French-made Allison Model 250 engine.