Navy gets 21 Romeos, still short of sub hunters

WITH China stepping up its underwater forays into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Pakistan readying its new Chinese-origin Hangor-class boats equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP), India has so far taken delivery of 21 of the 24 MH-60R ‘Romeo’ multi-role helicopters contracted from the US for hunting enemy submarines.

- JAVARIA RANA @ New Delhi

The delayed deliveries come amid a continuing huge shortfall in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and multi-role choppers for the Navy’s frontline warships, with the requirement pegged at well over 100.

Sources said that the Navy, in the interim, is also mulling a repeat order of the US-origin Romeos to partially bridge the gap. Of the 21 Romeos delivered, 15 are operational with the Navy. Three are being used for training Indian aircrews in the US, while another three are undergoing India-specific modifications and certification before deployment. The ones already in service, in turn, will be progressively rotated to the US in batches for the same upgrades, sources said.