India announces first private H125 helicopter assembly line

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has inaugurated India’s first private-sector helicopter final assembly line (FAL) for the Airbus H125 at Vemagal, Karnataka, in partnership with Airbus Helicopters.

The facility was inaugurated virtually by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President Emmanuel Macron, with senior Indian and French ministers and industry leaders attending on site.

The line will assemble the civil H125, with the capability to produce the military H125M, marking the first time India’s private sector will undertake full manufacturing, integration, testing, and maintenance of a sophisticated rotary-wing platform domestically.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, said: “We are proud to establish the H125 Helicopter Final Assembly Line … a landmark step in the nation’s journey towards self-reliance in aerospace and defense.”

Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, added: “The inauguration of the H125 FAL is a defining step towards India’s civil and defense sovereignty … It will also be a game-changer for the development of the civil helicopter market.”

For public safety and special missions operators, the ‘Made in India’ H125 will support emergency medical services, disaster response, law enforcement, and regional connectivity under the UDAN scheme. The H125M is optimized for high-altitude reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, search and rescue, and medical evacuation, critical capabilities for India’s challenging high-and-hot environments.

The first Indian-built H125 is expected to be delivered in early 2027, with export potential across South Asia.