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Modi inaugurates India’s biggest helicopter-manufacturing facility in Karnataka

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi dedicates to the nation HAL Helicopter Factory, in Tumakuru, Karnataka, on Monday, February 6, 2023. Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh (second from right), Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai (extreme right) and other dignitaries were also present. (ANI Photo)

By: Shubham Ghosh

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (6) inaugurated the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) helicopter factory — the country’s largest chopper-manufacturing facility — in Tumakuru district of the southern state of Karnataka.

HAL, headquartered in Bengaluru, has plans to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the range of 3-15 tonne with a total business of more than Rs 4 lakh crore (£40 billion) over a period of 20 years at the facility in Gubbi taluk, officials said.

The factory, spread across 615 acres for which the prime minister laid the foundation stone in 2016, would initially manufacture light utility helicopters (LUH)).

It will enable India to meet its entire requirement of helicopters without import and giving much-needed fillip to Modi’s vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) in helicopter design, development, and manufacture, they said.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, and senior officials of the Indian defence ministry were among those present on the occasion.

“It is a dedicated new greenfield helicopter factory which will enhance India’s capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters,” Singh said.

Assembly polls in Karnataka are due by May.

PM Modi unveiled the LUH, which has been flight tested. The LUH is an indigenously designed and developed three-tonne class, single-engine multipurpose utility helicopter. Initially, the factory will produce around 30 helicopters per year and can be enhanced to 60 and then 90 every year in a phased manner, according to the defence ministry.

The factory will be augmented to produce other helicopters such as Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) and Indian Multirole Helicopters (IMRHs). It will also be used for maintenance, repair and overhaul of LCH, LUH, Civil Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and IMRH in the future.

Potential exports of civil LUH will also be catered to from this factory, which is being equipped with state-of-the-art Industry 4.0 standard tools and techniques for its operations, officials said.

The proximity of the factory, with 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 areas, it was noted.

The factory is fully operational after the establishment of facilities like heli-runway, flight hangar, final assembly hangar, structure assembly hangar, air traffic control and various supporting service facilities, officials said.

(PTI)

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