Page 10 - ADT MAY / JULY 2024 Digital Magazine | GBP

connectivity programme and will
further promote the tourism sector
in the country.

The H125 single-engine helicopter
is a member of Airbus’ Ecureuil
family, which has accumulated more
than 38 million flight hours world-
wide. It can operate in high-and-hot
and extreme environments and can
be easily reconfigured for various
missions, including aerial work, fire-
fighting, law enforcement, rescue,
the A220 programme by creating electrical harnesses, hydraulic air ambulance, passenger transport,
additional capacity to the currently circuits, flight controls, dynamic and many others. The H125 is the
existing source,” Maillard said. components, fuel system and the only helicopter to have landed on
engine. It will also do testing, quali- Mount Everest, demonstrating its
Under the agreement, Dynamatic fication, and delivery of the H125 to agility in operating in high altitude,
will manufacture and assemble customers in India and the region. extreme environments.
the cargo, passenger and service
doors along with the over-wing The FAL will take 24 months to set C295 FAL Leads the Way
emergency exit doors for the A220 up, and deliveries of the first ‘Made
family aircraft (eight doors per air- in India’ H125s are expected to
craft). The doors contract includes commence in 2026. The location The H125 FAL will be the second
the manufacturing of detailed parts of the FAL is yet to be decided by final assembly line Airbus is build-
components, which will create Airbus and the Tata Group. ing in India after the C295 military
downstream opportunities for the aircraft manufacturing facility in
other Indian suppliers. “Helicopters are crucial for Vadodara, in the western Indian
nation building. A ‘Made-in- state of Gujarat.
This is the second doors contract India’ civil helicopter will not
awarded by Airbus to an Indian only be a symbol of the con- India acquired 56 C295 aircraft in
supplier in less than one year. In September 2021 to replace the
2023, Airbus gave the contract for fident new India but will also Indian Air Force (IAF) legacy AVRO
the manufacturing of bulk and cargo unlock the true potential of fleet. The first 16 aircraft are being
doors of the A320 Family to Tata the helicopter market in the assembled in Seville, Spain, and
Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL). country,” said Guillaume Faury, will be delivered to the IAF in a
CEO of Airbus. “This helicopter final ‘fly-away’ condition. The following
H125 Helicopters assembly line, which we will build 40 aircraft are being manufactured
together with our trusted partner and assembled by TASL in India
Recently, Airbus also tied up with Tata, is a reaffirmation of Airbus’ as part of an industrial partnership
Tata Group to establish India’s first commitment to developing the full between the two companies. All
helicopter FAL in the private sec- spectrum of the aerospace ecosys- the IAF C295s will be handed
tor. The FAL will produce Airbus’ tem in India,” Faury added. over in transport configuration and
best-selling H125 helicopter from equipped with an indigenous elec-
its civil range for India and export to tronic warfare suite.
some of the neighbouring countries. According to Airbus, the H125 pro-
The FAL will be the first instance duced in India will catalyse the use “This programme will significantly
of the private sector setting up a of helicopters in the country. This contribute to developing the
helicopter manufacturing facility multi-mission help will revolutionise country’s military industrial eco-
in India. Under the partnership, passenger and goods transportation system from the manufacturing to
TASL, a subsidiary of Tata Group, and will also be used for segments assembly, testing, to delivery and
will establish the facility along with such as emergency medical ser- maintenance of the complete lifecy-
Airbus Helicopters. vices, disaster management, law cle of the aircraft,” Faury said.
enforcement, tourism and aerial
The facility in India will undertake work missions. Providing last mile The C295 military aircraft pro-
the integration of the major com- connectivity to remote areas, the gramme is expected to create an
ponent assemblies, avionics and H125 will significantly contribute to additional 15,000 skilled direct and
mission systems, installation of the Government of India’s regional 10,000 indirect jobs over 10 years..
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