India is to soon offer American aircraft manufacturer Boeing a deal to supply 15 heavy-lift helicopters to the Indian Air Force, local media reported Tuesday.

This is after Boeing emerged as the lowest bidder to supply 15 Chinook CH47D choppers to the Indian Air Force, defeating its rival Russian Mi-26 in the tender expected to be worth around one billion U.S. dollars, the newspaper of The Times of India quoted Defense Ministry officials as saying.

The Defense Ministry will hold commercial negotiations with the U.S. firm to determine the price and finalize the procurement, the newspaper said.

The Indian Air Force will use these helicopters to supply heavy- duty equipment in the higher reaches in the northern and northeastern states and will replace the existing fleet of Mi-26 choppers acquired in the Soviet era.