Upgrade to 10-tonne choppers: Rajnath Singh

Hyderabad: Stating that India has shown its strength in design, development and operation of helicopters in the 5-tonne category, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said in order to become a global leader there is a need to progress in the design of 10-tonne Indian multirole helicopter.

Speaking at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Chetak helicopter here, Rajnath Singh said, according to an estimate there is a demand for more than 1,000 civilian helicopters in India, and an equal number of helicopters in the military sector which indicates a huge potential in the chopper market.

He said external conditions have impacted on the serviceability of India's critical weapons and equipment and therefore, efforts for self-sufficiency continues to be the need of the hour.