Airbus on Wednesday announced that it will set up a production line for the H125 helicopters in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) at Vemagal in Karnataka, the fourth such facility in the world and India’s first helicopter final assembly line in the private sector.
Karnataka was among the four states shortlisted by Airbus to build the single-engine helicopter in the country.
“The ‘Made in India’ H125 helicopter will help develop new civil and para-public market segments and also meet the Indian armed forces’ requirement for a light multi-role helicopter, especially on the icy heights of the country’s Himalayan frontier. Plans include a military version, the H125M, to be offered out of this Indian factory with high levels of indigenised components and technologies,” Airbus said.
The first H125 is expected to roll out of the facility in early 2027, and the choppers built in India will be exported to south Asian countries too.
“India is an ideal helicopter country. A ‘Made in India’ helicopter will help develop this market and position helicopters as an essential tool for nation-building,” said Airbus India and South Asia president Jurgen Westermeier.
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The final assembly line (FAL) in India will initially produce 10 H125s a year, with production being ramped up as orders grow. Airbus has projected a demand for 500 light helicopters of the H125 class in the country and south Asia during the next 20 years.
“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. This is our second FAL (the other being for C-295 aircraft) in collaboration with Airbus and further reinforces the partnership between Tata and Airbus for India. Tata Advanced Systems is well placed in the Indian aerospace sector with capability to build and deliver fixed-wing aircraft as well as helicopters for the nation’s requirements,” said TASL CEO Sukaran Singh.
The partnership between Airbus Helicopters and TASL to assemble the H125 helicopters in the country was announced in January 2024 during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The 2,8-tonne H125 can carry up to six passengers, fly at a maximum altitude of 23,000 feet, has a range of 630 km and a top speed of 250 kmph. The roles it is suited for include commercial transport, law enforcement, emergency medical services, disaster management, offshore industry and firefighting.
These helicopters are currently produced only in France, the US and Brazil.
At the Indian FAL, TASL will handle major component assemblies, avionics and mission systems, flight controls, hydraulic circuits, fuel system and the engine; with support and guidance from Airbus Helicopters, including the training of Indian personnel in France.
The H125’s engine and gearbox will come from France, the main airframe from Germany, and the tail boom from Spain.
This will be the second FAL to be set up in India by Airbus. It is jointly executing a ₹21,935-crore project with TASL to equip the Indian Air Force with 56 C-295 aircraft to modernise its transport fleet. In September 2021, the defence ministry signed the contract with Airbus Defence and Space to strengthen self-reliance in the key sector. The European aircraft maker has delivered 16 planes in fly- away condition to the IAF, while the rest will be assembled in India at a Tata facility in Gujarat’s Vadodara city. The first ‘Made in India’ C-295 will roll out of the facility in September 2026 and the remaining over the next six years.
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