Prime Minister Modi Inaugurates Asia's Largest Helicopter Factory

HAL to Produce 1000 Helicopters over 20 Years at this facility. Export of Civil Helicopters Envisaged

- GULSHAN LUTHRA AND ANIL KUMAR

NEW DELHI/ TUMAKURU, SOUTHERN INDIA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia's largest helicopter factory Feb 6 at Tumakuru in Karnataka, where HAL will shortly begin manufacturing Light Utility and then expand to bigger Combat and Multirole machines like Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH).

N Set up in the Bangalore-Chennai Industrial Corridor, the huge 615 acre facility will start manufacturing 3 to 5 tonne Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) for the three Services, and then produce machines to 15 tonnes. Its initial target is to produce 30 helicopters a year, but gradually step up to 60 and 90 later, eventually making an estimated 1,000 machines over a 20 year period, mostly for defence.

Export of civilian variants is envisaged.

FACTORY A MILESTONE TOWARDS ATAMNIRBHARTA

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Narendra Modi, who had laid the foundation stone of the factory in 2016, observed India had to be self reliant (Atmanirbhar) in defence manufacturing to strengthen the Armed Forces, which are already using hundreds of indigenous systems from Assault Rifles to helicopters, aircraft and aircraft carriers, and congratulated HAL for playing a pioneering, key role in India's aviation skyline.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the HAL factory as a milestone in India's defence and aerospace sector, and said the number of defence industrial corridors is going to be increased from the existing 4 to 10 across the country. And that the Government wants the region to be a global hub. The Tumakuru facility, some 70 km from the electronic city of Bangalore, or Bengaluru now, is located on the Bangalore-Chennai corridor.