Indian Rotorcraft announced the start of construction of a new helicopter production facility aat Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
Indian Rotorcraft is a joint venture company formed by Tata Sons and AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, that will assemble, customize and flight test new helicopters for the worldwide market. The joint venture will initially start to produce the 8-seat AW119Ke light helicopter, with production commencing from mid-2013.
Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons, said “The project is integral to our plans in the aerospace sector and we look forward to an enduring and successful partnership with AgustaWestland for fostering the growth of the Indian aerospace sector.”
Bruno Spagnolini, CEO of AgustaWestland added “We are very pleased through our joint venture with Tata Sons to be playing an important role in the development of the Indian aerospace industry. Not only will this new facility be able to build helicopters for the Indian market but importantly it will supply helicopters to AgustaWestland customers around the world.”
He added “Indian Rotorcraft will initially create jobs for more than 70 highly skilled staff who will be trained by AgustaWestland. We see great potential to expand this facility in the future to become a support centre and production centre for other helicopter types.”
The facility is being built on a 10 acre (40,000 m2) site adjacent to the Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport and will include a 9,000 m2 (97,000 ft2) building incorporating a main assembly building, flight hangar, office accommodation and outside several helicopter landing pads. The facility will be capable of producing up to 30 helicopters per year and is designed to be further developed for other helicopter types, right up to the 16-ton AW101.
The Tata Group comprises over 100 operating companies in seven business sectors: communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. The Group has operations in more than 80 countries across six continents, and its companies export products and services to 85 countries. The total revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $83.3 billion (around Rs3,796.75 billion) in 2010-11, with 58 per cent of the total is generated from business outside India. Tata companies employ over 425,000 people worldwide.
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, has the widest and most modern range of rotorcraft to meet customers vertical lift requirements. For offshore, passenger and VIP transport, air ambulance, law enforcement, SAR or utility missions AgustaWestland has a helicopter to suit the mission, with the unique advantage of having a family of helicopters that share a common design approach, common parts, common training and the same maintenance philosophy.
AgustaWestland has been present in India since the 1930s when the Westland Wapiti was the very first aircraft flown by the Indian Air Force, and then over 40 years ago AgustaWestland commenced the supply and support of the Indian Navy’s Sea King fleet. Nearly 50 AgustaWestland commercial helicopters have been sold in India in the last six years including almost 20 AW139 medium twins.
Source AgustaWestland
