New Delhi, Jan 26 (UNI) Aviation industry behemoth Airbus and Tata Group on Friday announced to set up India's first helicopter assembly line in the private sector giving a big boost to local manufacturing.
The assembly unit will produce Airbus’ H125 helicopter for India and also export to some of the neighbouring countries.
As per the pact, Tata group firm Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) will set up the facility along with Airbus Helicopters.
The announcement was made during the two-day visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India as Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations today.
"The FAL (final assembly line) in India will undertake the integration of the major component assemblies, avionics and mission systems, installation of electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight controls, dynamic components, fuel system and the engine. It will also do testing, qualification, and delivery of the H125 to customers in India and the region," a joint statement by the companies said on Friday.
The proposed assembly line will take 24 months to set up and deliveries of the first ‘Made in India’ H125s are expected to commence in 2026.
The location of the FAL will be jointly decided by Airbus and the Tata Group.
“This helicopter final assembly line, which we will build together with our trusted partner Tata, is a reaffirmation of Airbus’ commitment to developing the full spectrum of the aerospace ecosystem in India. This will be the second final assembly line Airbus is building in India after the ‘Make in India’ C295 military aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat,” said Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO.
N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, said that Tata Group is delighted to set up India’s first helicopter assembly facility in the private sector.
"This facility will have the final assembly line in partnership with Airbus for the world’s bestselling Airbus H125 single engine helicopter for the Indian as well as export markets,” he said.
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