PM Modi, Macron Unveil India’s First Private Helicopter Manufacturing Unit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday virtually inaugurated the Final Assembly Line (FAL) for H125 helicopters at the Vemagal Industrial Area in Kolar district, Karnataka, near Bengaluru.

The facility marks India’s first helicopter manufacturing unit established in the private sector.

The plant will initially assemble 10 H125 helicopters annually. It will cater to domestic requirements and export markets across neighbouring regions.

Officials have projected a demand of nearly 500 helicopters over the next two decades. The facility retains the capacity to expand production accordingly.

The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is scheduled to take flight by early 2027.

Rajnath Singh and French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin attended the ceremony at the site.

The event formed part of the annual India-France Defence Dialogue.

While attention centred on rotary-wing production, the bilateral partnership has also progressed in fixed-wing manufacturing.

Fixed-Wing Expansion Advances

The Vadodara facility will roll out the first domestically produced C295 military transport aircraft. It is scheduled to complete the rollout by September 2026.

Of the 56 aircraft ordered by the Indian Air Force, 16 have already been delivered from Spain. The remaining 40 aircraft are under production in India.

The programme has engaged 37 Indian suppliers. Approximately 70 per cent of components now originate domestically.

Officials describe this as a substantial step towards building indigenous capability.

The H125 helicopter enjoys a global reputation for high-altitude performance and retains the record for landing on Mount Everest.

Authorities will deploy it for civil operations, emergency response and tourism services.

Plans are underway to manufacture the H125M, its military variant, at the same location to support the Indian Armed Forces.

Defence analysts view the parallel development of the C295 facility in Gujarat and the H125 line in Karnataka as a cornerstone of the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

The collaboration will create more than 10,000 jobs and build a comprehensive high-technology aerospace ecosystem in India.

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