According to an announcement by Airbus Helicopters, a Final Assembly Line (FAL) for helicopters will be established in India through a partnership with the Tata Group. It is planned that the FAL will manufacture the H125 helicopter, which is Airbus’s most popular model from its civil line, for India and then export it to some of the nearby countries.
The FAL will be the first instance of the private sector putting up a helicopter manufacturing plant in India. Under the terms of this agreement, the facility will be established by Airbus Helicopters in conjunction with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), a subsidiary of the Tata Group.
The key component assemblies, avionics and mission systems, and installation of electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight controls, dynamic components, fuel systems, and engines will all be done in the FAL in India. The H125 will also be put through its paces, qualified, and delivered to consumers in India and the surrounding region. Establishing the FAL will take twenty-four months, and it is anticipated that the first H125s to be labelled as “Made in India” will be delivered in the year 2026. Airbus and the Tata Group will decide on the location of the FAL.
According to the Airbus release, the H125 multi-purpose workhorse will revolutionise passenger and cargo transportation in various sectors, including emergency medical services (HEMS), disaster management, law enforcement, tourism, and aerial work missions. The H125 will substantially contribute to the Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) project, a regional connectivity initiative implemented by India’s government. This scheme will further develop the country’s tourism industry by providing connectivity to rural locations’ last mile.
The H125 is the single-engine helicopter with the highest sales worldwide and is superior to other helicopters in the same category, states Airbus in its release. This flexible and high-performing helicopter is a part of the Ecureuil family of helicopters manufactured by Airbus, which has logged more than 38 million flight hours globally. It can function in high-temperature and severe settings. It can be quickly adapted for various missions, such as aerial work, firefighting, law enforcement, rescue, air ambulance, passenger transport, and other operations.
The H125 is the only helicopter that has ever successfully landed on Mount Everest, demonstrating its adaptability in circumstances that are known to be high-altitude and severe.
Airbus would leverage TASL’s strengths in aerospace and defence to create the projected helicopter manufacturing plant in India. This facility will be the second FAL established by Airbus in India. The two businesses in Vadodara, Gujarat, are constructing the C295 military transport aircraft FAL.
Airbus is expanding its industrial footprint in India by expanding its aircraft assembly, component manufacturing, engineering and digital design and development, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support, pilot and maintenance training, and academic collaboration to foster human capital, states the release.
