Vijay Mohan
Chandigarh, October 10
The number of IAF’s Mi-17 medium lift helicopters to be overhauled in the country has been enhanced over three times, prompting the Air Force to rope in the civilian aviation establishment for dealing with additional manpower requirements.
“The overhaul task allotted by the Ministry of Defence to the Air Force for the current planning year is 35 helicopters as compared to 11 for the last planning year,” an IAF officer said. Overhaul of Mi-17s is undertaken at No 3 Base Repair Depot (3 BRD) in Chandigarh.
According to IAF sources, 3 BRD overhauls about 8,000 mechanical rotables and components, which involves about 4.5 lakh man-hours. “The quantum of the task requires over 350 personnel, including supervisors, while the strength available at present is much less,” an officer said.
To meet the task the IAF has decided to outsource certain non-critical and non-core activities associated with the helicopter overhaul process to the civilian industry, for which only Indian entities will be permitted. The industry will be initially involved for a period of five years — from 2023 to 2028.
Six processes have been listed out for the industry. These are dismantling of the helicopter and sub-assemblies, paint removal and cleaning the complete helicopter and its parts, defect analysis of the structure, including visual checks, non-destructive test for cracks, dents, loose or missing rivets, corrosion removal and carrying out necessary repairs, removal of the electrical loom and its refurbishment, followed by testing and relaying, repairing and refurbishing the cockpit and cargo compartment ceiling, side and floor panels, and finally re-painting and marking of the helicopter.
Earlier this year, the IAF had issued an Expression of Interest inviting the industry to be associated with the Mi-17 helicopter overhaul process. The task envisioned was overhaul of 15 helicopters per year for a period of two years.
The IAF operates three variants of the Soviet/Russian origin Mi-17 class, including the latest Mi-17 V5, Mi-17 1V and older versions, which form the backbone of its medium-lift rotary component.
Over 220 Mi-17 helicopters, that began entering service in 1991, are reported to be in service. These gradually replaced the earlier Mi-8 and are extensively used for tactical missions such as troops transport, assault, ferrying and air dropping supplies in remote areas, special operations, search and rescue and disaster management.