Boeing Co has submitted two proposals to the Indian Air Force, offering the AH-64D Apache and the CH-47F Chinook in a deal potentially worth $2 billion, Boeing's country head and Indian officials said on Friday. India invited bids in May for 22 attack helicopters and at least 15 heavy-lift helicopters as it plans to replace its ageing Soviet-era fleet with modern weapon systems.
"The Apache will be a capable and lethal defender of India's troops and assets, while the Chinook will answer many of the country's military and humanitarian needs," Vivek Lall, vice president and India country head for Boeing Integrated Defence Systems, said on Friday. "We have no idea of the timeline and how long will it take as we have just submitted our proposals," Lall told Reuters.
The company has already signed a $2.1 billion contract for supplying eight P-8I warfare planes to the Indian Navy. The Indian government says it will prioritise defence and push forward pending projects to modernise its armed forces especially after the Mumbai attacks in November revealed security loopholes. It is looking to spend more than $30 billion over the next five years to modernise its defence systems.