NEW DELHI — The Indian air force (IAF) soon will place a follow-on order for six C-130J medium-lift transport aircraft, says Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne. “Talks with the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin for the new batch of aircraft are on, and the order is expected to be placed by January 2012,” Browne says. In January 2008, the IAF signed a deal for six C-130Js for about $1.1 billion. Deliveries started in December 2010; five have arrived so far.

NEW DELHI — The Indian navy is scouting for military helicopters to succeed its anti-submarine and troop-carrying Sea King and airborne early warning Kamov helicopters. The initial process began with a request for information that was released a couple of months back, Indian navy spokesman Commander P. Satish tells Aviation Week. The navy also is planning to refurbish its current fleet of Sea Kings and Kamovs. “The Indian navy’s fleet of helicopters is relatively old; hence it is due for [upgrading] and replacement,” Satish says.

A Beechcraft 1900D aircraft operated by Nepal’s Buddha Air crashed in the Kathmandu Valley on Sept. 25, killing all 19 people on board. Flight BHA-103 lost contact with the Tribhuvan International Airport tower in the capital of Kathmandu at 7:31 a.m. local time, soon after it had made a flight around Mount Everest. It crashed 4 min. later about 15 km (9.5 mi.) south of the airfield, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The twin turboprop plane was broken into pieces, and the rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather.