Depends on how you define *most capable*. The *Amnesiacs International* crybabies have been whining about the French-designed, Indian-built Lancer Light Attack Helicopters supplied to the 11th Brigade. The two Russian Mi-17s supplied to the Nepalese [with generous spares included] by Great Britain are Air Ambulance versions donated as humanitarian aid, and likely to find considerable use in that role, supplanted by a pair of fixed-wing Islander casevac aircraft.
I expect the Royal Nepal Army Air Wing will be grateful for anything servicable they can utilize, then after hard use and combat take their toll, they'll eventually come to standardize on what this experience shows them to be the most useful...and for which maintenance and replacement parts are the least problem.
The Lancer is armed with two rocket and machine gun pods. Each pod carries one 12.7 mm gun and three 70 mm rockets and has a firing rate of 1100 rounds per minute. The ALH is a military utility helicopter and is designed to be fitted with a variety of weapons systems including a three-barrel 20mm machine gun, air-to-surface and anti tank missiles. Whilst France remains the principal EU member state involved with the production of these helicopters in India, a number of other European companies have also been reported as supplying components or sub-systems for helicopters manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics. For example, the ALH reportedly contains Italian and UK components, whilst the Lancer is equipped with rocket pods reportedly manufactured by a Belgian company. Evidence of misuse of helicopters by the Nepalese security forces Exports of Indian helicopters to other countries of concern It would appear that India has weaker controls on the export of military helicopters than its EU counterparts. In 2002, it was reported that India had removed the "blacklist" of countries that it would not export weapons to, in an effort to boost its arms sales, including that of the Advanced Light Helicopter. According to a 2002 report of the Indian Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, Hindustan Aeronautics had been "exporting spares for aircraft, helicopters and engines to a number of countries". In February 2003, the Chairman of Hindustan Aeronautics stated that "we have our own advanced light helicopter design and to export it we do not need any permissions" . The close involvement of France with the production of attack helicopters in India, via licensed production agreements and the incorporation of components or sub-systems from other EU member states into these helicopters raises serious concerns regarding the application of the EU Code of Conduct. Criterion 7 of the EU Code requires Member States to consider the "risk that... equipment will be diverted within the buyer country or re-exported under undesirable conditions," and to consider "the capability of the recipient country to exert effective export controls". The export of the Lancer and ALH helicopters from India to destinations unlikely to receive direct export licences from EU members suggests that EU Member States are not fully implementing the EU Code. Given the weakening of India’s export controls, the continued involvement of EU-based companies in the production of Indian attack helicopters, seriously undermines the credibility of the EU Code and its effectiveness in stopping the proliferation of arms to conflict or human rights crisis zones.
Exports from India to Nepal have included the Lancer light attack helicopter and the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The Lancer is based upon the Cheetah attack helicopter that has been produced in India under licence from Eurocopter, since 1970. Eurocopter has also been closely involved in the development of HAL’s indigenous designed Advanced Light Helicopter, signing a new Memorandum of Understanding in June 2003. Another French Company, Turbomeca, has provided engines for the Cheetah, Lancer and Advanced Light Helicopters.
During 2004, there have been numerous reports of civilians being killed or wounded in helicopter attacks by Nepalese security forces. For example, the Kathmandu Post Newspaper reported on 11th January 2004 that an 82-year old man was killed when the Royal Nepalese Army opened fire at him from a helicopter in the remote Kaule Village whilst on a search operation against the Maoist rebels. On 24th March 2004 Agence France-Presse reported that up to fifty people including civilians were killed when an army helicopter attacked guerrillas in western Nepal near the scene of major weekend fighting.
