Last Update: February 04, 2023, 14:47 IST
HAL plans to produce over 1,000 helicopters in the 3-15 ton range. (Shutterstock)
India’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility will initially produce light utility helicopters and then be scaled up to produce other helicopters such as the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian multirole helicopters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi A helicopter production facility of the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Tumakuru in Karnataka is set to be dedicated to the nation on Monday.
According to the Defense Ministry, this will be a step towards ‘self-reliance’ in defence. “Spread over 615 acres of land, the greenfield helicopter factory has been planned with a vision to become a one-stop solution for all helicopter requirements of the country. It is India’s largest helicopter manufacturing facility and will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs),” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“LUH is an indigenously designed and developed 3-tonne class, single engine multirole utility helicopter with unique features of high manoeuvrability. Initially, the factory will produce around 30 helicopters per year and can be scaled up to 60 and then 90 per year in a phased manner. The first LUH has been flight tested and is ready for unveiling,” the press release said.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and senior officials of the ministry will be present on the occasion.
The factory will be scaled up to produce other helicopters such as the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and the Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH). It will also be used for maintenance, repair and overhaul of LCH, LUH, Civil Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and IMRH in future. Potential export of civil LUH will also be catered from this factory.
HAL plans to produce over 1,000 helicopters in the range of 3-15 tonnes with a total turnover of over Rs 4 lakh crore over a period of 20 years. Apart from generating direct and indirect employment, the Tumakuru facility will also promote the development of the surrounding areas through its CSR activities with large scale community centric programs on which the company will spend a substantial amount. All this will result in improvement in the lives of the people of the area.
The proximity of the factory to the existing HAL facilities in Bengaluru will boost the aerospace manufacturing ecosystem in the region and support skill and infrastructure development such as schools, colleges and residential sectors. Medical and health care will also reach the community living in various panchayats nearby, the release said.
With the establishment of facilities like Heli-Runway, Flight Hangar, Final Assembly Hangar, Structure Assembly Hangar, Air Traffic Control and various support service facilities, the factory is fully operational. The factory is being equipped with state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 standard equipment and technologies for its operations.
The foundation stone of the facility was laid by the Prime Minister in 2016. This factory will enable India To meet its entire requirement of helicopters without imports and to give a much needed boost to PM Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ in helicopter design, development and manufacturing.
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