Airbus, Tata Group to jointly set up helicopter manufacturing facility

MUMBAI: Airbus Helicopters on Friday said it is partnering with the Tata Group to establish a Final Assembly Line for helicopters in the country.

The facility will produce Airbus H125 helicopters from its civil range for India and for exporting to some of the neighbouring countries, Airbus Helicopter said in a statement.

The Final Assembly Line (FAL) will be the first instance of the private sector setting up a helicopter manufacturing facility in India, providing a major boost to the Indian government’s ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) programme, it said.

Under this partnership, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, 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 on January 26.

The FAL 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, Airbus Helicopters said.

Besides, it will also do testing, qualification, and delivery of the H125 to customers in India and the region, as per the statement.

The FAL will take 24 months to set up and deliveries of the first ‘Made in India’ H125s are expected to commence in 2026, it said.

The location of the FAL will be jointly decided by Airbus and the Tata Group, according to the statement.