Airbus, TASL to Build H125 Helicopters in India

New Delhi, Oct 1 (PTI) European major Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) on Wednesday said the final assembly line for the H125 helicopters will be located in Karnataka and the delivery of the first H125 made in India is expected in early 2027.

The Final Assembly Line (FAL) for the H125 will be the second Airbus aircraft assembly plant Tata Advanced Systems is building in India, after the C295 military aircraft manufacturing facility in Vadodara, Gujarat.

"India's first helicopter Final Assembly Line from the private sector, to be established by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) to build the Airbus H125 helicopters, will be located in Vemagal in Karnataka... The delivery of the first 'Made in India' H125 is expected in early 2027. The helicopter will be available for exports in the South Asian region as well," a joint release said on Wednesday.

There are also plans to have a military version, the H125M, to be offered out of this Indian factory with high levels of indigenised components and technologies, the statement said.

The H125, a member of Airbus' Ecureuil family, has accumulated more than 40 million flight hours worldwide, and can operate in high-and-hot and extreme environments.

Jürgen Westermeier, President and Managing Director, Airbus India and South Asia, said India is an ideal helicopter country.

Tata Advanced Systems is proud to be the first private sector company in India to build helicopters. This will bolster both civil and defence requirements, Sukaran Singh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd, said.

According to the release, the 'Made in India' H125 helicopter will help develop new civil and para-public market segments and also meet the Indian armed force's requirement for a light multi-role helicopter, especially on the icy heights of the country's Himalayan frontiers.

The H125 is the only helicopter to have landed on Mount Everest, it added.

Airbus has been present in India for more than 60 years, starting with an industrial collaboration agreement with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to produce the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. It has good presence in both civil and defence segments.

Apart from bagging huge aircraft orders from Indian airlines, Airbus sources components and services worth about USD 1.4 billion annually from India, including complex systems such as aircraft doors, flap-track beams and helicopter cabin aerostructures.