The Bolt VTOL drone does not require any dedicated launch equipment and can operate from congested environments. It can be unpacked and airborne in under five minutes and loaded with a range of anti-personnel and anti-materiel warheads.
Two Mi-17V5 pilots, Wing Commander Nirmal Kumar Bakshi and Wing Commander Rajiv Dobhal have been awarded the Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry) for their actions during the Nepal earthquake relief operations.
Boeing’s Dave Brostrom briefed media about the light armed helicopter and their expectations of its market potential at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition (LIMA2015) last month.
Airbus Helicopters has initiated the process to get approval for a joint venture with an Indian partner to manufacture helicopters in India, with a majority stake held by the European company.
The Acceptance Of Necessity (AON) was cleared by the Defense Acquisitions Council (DAC) in February, 2012 and at the time, the order was estimated to be worth around USD 1 billion.
