Be it commercial aircraft with final assembly lines (FAL) in China and the United States for the A320 family or helicopters with the H135 line in China, Airbus Group has demonstrated its ability to shift parts in the past. Product to establish itself in the markets. This is now the case in India as well, with the creation of a new FAL in India for Airbus Helicopters in collaboration with the Tata group. The announcement was made this Friday during Emmanuel Macron’s two-day visit to the country.
This future chain will assemble H125s, described as single-engine “Top Selling Airbus Civil Range”. The objective is to be able to reach the Indian market, which is a growing market for air travel, despite the country’s size and poor ground infrastructure. It must be capable of performing medical evacuation, law enforcement, passenger transport or air work missions “Last Mile Connectivity in Remote Areas”
, according to an Airbus press release. It will thus contribute to the government’s regional connectivity program Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), which aims to develop tourism in the country. Devices assembled on site can also be exported to neighboring countries.
In partnership with Tata
Airbus Helicopters will not be alone in this project. The helicopter manufacturer will be associated with Tata Advance Systems, a subsidiary of Indian industrial giant Tata. Together, they should give birth to FAL, the first helicopter installed by private players in India, which was hitherto the prerogative of state-owned industrialists like Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).
The location of this future helicopter factory must still be decided by the two partners. But things must move quickly as it should be operational within 24 months, with the first deliveries expected in 2026. According to an Airbus press release, it will be loaded “Integration of major components, avionics and mission systems, installation of electrical harnesses, hydraulic circuits, flight controls, dynamic components, fuel systems and engines. »
This future entity will also be tested and delivered.“This helicopter final assembly line, which we will build with our trusted partner Tata, reaffirms Airbus’ commitment to developing the entire aerospace ecosystem in India,” said Airbus Executive Chairman Guillaume Fourie.
The two companies already have an advanced relationship, currently working on setting up the FAL for the C295 military transport aircraft at Vadodara in the western state of Gujarat.
Essential “Make in India”
This is a part of local development policy “Make in India”Which has become essential in industrial projects for almost ten years, and in 2020 the post-Covid recovery program Atmanirbhar Bharat was launched. Their objectives are to make the country autonomous and self-sufficient in several strategic sectors, particularly through localization resulting in the transfer of foreign productions, especially Western production, technology and skills to Indian soil.
This policy is particularly applicable in the case of military contracts, such as the sale of Rafale by Dassault Aviation to India. In partnership with Indian industrialist Reliance Group, it substantially manufactures Falcon business jet parts at the site.