New Delhi, June 27, 2006 (PTI)

Major helicopter manufacturer Bell, which is in the race to sell 197 choppers to the Indian Army, today said its flying machines had successfully completed weather trials, meeting all the Indian requirements.

"The Bell 407 Shens have completed all-weather trials including hot and cold weathers and have met all the requirements of the Indian Army," US-based Bell Helicopter's Director for International Military Sales Jay Ortiz told PTI here.

Besides Bell, the Eurocopter of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space consortium (EADS) is vying for the deal, which is estimated at about 400 million dollars.

Ortiz said while 60 of the 197 helicopters would be delivered in a fully configured frame, the remaining are to be manufactured in cooperation with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore.

"For this, we have a complete technology package ready", he said, adding that there would be a phased production plan for the manufacture of these choppers in India.

The Bell official, who was accompanied by Director (Communications) Greg Hubbard, said as the helicopters are built in batches, "we will be providing fewer number of kits to enable HAL make them indigenously".

HAL, Bell India chief Wing Commander (Retd) B S Singhdeo said, has already assembled one Bell-407 for civilian use in April this year. "This will help us in transferring technology of the Bell-407 for military use to HAL," Ortiz said.