India Seeks Heavy Lift Chopper Lease for Himalayan Operations

India is seeking ultra-heavy-lift helicopters on lease for logistics operations in the high-altitude Himalayan region and has sought information from vendors.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a Request for Information (RFI), a key procurement step ahead of a tendering process to identify the vendors who could supply three such helicopters to be operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF).

According to the RFI issued on Tuesday (April 28, 2026), the MoD sought a heavy-lift helicopter with 20-tonne capability, effectively narrowing the search to the Russian Mi-26, the only chopper with such a load capability in high-altitude areas.

The IAF already operates a four-helicopter fleet of Mi-26, inducted in the late 1980s. One of the helicopters had crashed in 2010 near Jammu. The remaining helicopters were grounded by 2017.

To revive the fleet, the IAF had, in October 2024, signed an overhaul deal with Russia for the three Mi-26 helicopters.

This overhaul deal is different from the current RFI for leasing three more Mi-26 helicopters, according to MoD officials with knowledge of the matter.

According to the RFI, the additional three helicopters on lease were for meeting operational requirements of the IAF for an initial period of two years, with an option to purchase the flying machines at a later date.

The so-leased helicopters should be capable of operating at an altitude of 5,000 metres (or 18,000 feet) above sea level to drop supplies or airlift personnel to several mountain peaks in the Himalayan region.

The leased helicopters should be able to carry 45 fully-equipped troopers and be modified as an air ambulance with at least 20 stretchers.

These helicopters must operate in adverse weather conditions with temperatures ranging from minus 40 to minus 60 degrees Celsius.

To operate effectively in such weather conditions, the helicopters must be equipped with a weather radar and a digital moving map display.

For protection, the helicopter must have an electronic warfare suite, including a radar warning receiver (RWR) and a missile approach warning system to detect and display threats, along with a countermeasure dispensing system.