By N. C. Bipindra

New Delhi: Targeting two Indian military tenders to supply at least 280 light helicopters, multi-sector major Adani’s aerospace and defence arm, on February 3, 2026, announced a MoU with Italian giant Leonardo to set up a final assembly line in India, and establish an end-to-end helicopter ecosystem.

Leonardo Helicopter’s senior vice president Stefano Villanti and Adani Defence and Aerospace chief executive officer Ashish Rajvanshi signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here in the presence of India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Ministry of Defence Additional Secretary and Director General Acquisition A. Anbarasu.

Italian Ambassador to India Antonio Enrico Bartoli and Adani Defence and Aerospace director Jeet Adani were present on the occasion.

“This landmark partnership will establish a fully integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India, addressing surging military demands and propelling the nation toward self-reliance in helicopter production,” Adani Defence and Aerospace said in a statement issued on the occasion.

The two companies have come together targeting the Indian army, air force, and navy’s immediate requirement for utility helicopters to replace their ageing fleet of legacy Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

Jointly, the two companies would offer Leonardo’s advanced AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters to meet the needs of the Indian Army-Air Force and the Navy, respectively, according to the announcement made at the media event.

The Indian Army and Air Force have a joint Request for Information (RFI) for 200 Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) in August 2025, of which 120 would go to the army and the rest to the air force.

Adani Defence and Aerospace and Leonardo would compete against Airbus Helicopters and its Indian partner in the current tender for the army and air force requirements.

Two previous global tenders for the same platform were cancelled for varied reasons, all over the last 20 years, the first time in 2007 and again in 2014 after the newly formed Narendra Modi government pushed for making the helicopters in India.

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have a requirement for 76 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUHs), for which another RFI was issued during the same period in 2025.

The same Indian and global competitors would compete in the likely naval tender to meet the requirements of 51 helicopters for the navy and 25 for the coast guard too.

At the Adani-Leonardo joint media event, the two companies said they would fuse Leonardo’s helicopter design and engineering prowess with Adani Defence’s end-to-end defence and aerospace expertise.

“The collaboration will deliver phased indigenisation, robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and comprehensive pilot training,” Adani said, hinting at covering almost all aspects of the helicopter ecosystem within India.

“The initiative advances the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision, strengthens national defence readiness, with the potential to be extended to civil aviation applications and international supply chain integration,” the Indian company said.

“This ecosystem promises transformative economic impact: thousands of high-skill jobs in engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and sustainment services, while cementing India as a competitive hub for helicopter production.”

Adani’s Rajvanshi, in a presentation, projected a 7.8% growth rate for the Indian helicopter market, from USD 1.58 billion in 2024 to USD 2.88 billion by 2032.

He also predicted the global helicopter market to grow 3.4% CAGR in the decade ending 2032, from USD 34 billion in 2024 to USD 97 billion.

“This alliance with Leonardo is a pivotal stride toward a resilient, future-proof helicopter ecosystem in India, Adani Defence and Aerospace director Jeet Adani said.

“Merging global excellence with our industrial momentum, we will drive enduring value, high-skill employment, and alignment with Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) to position India as a global aerospace powerhouse,” he added.

“With the Indian armed forces projecting demand for over 1,000 helicopters in the coming decade, this partnership realises our vision for sovereign manufacturing,” Rajvanshi said. 

“It will accelerate indigenisation, strengthen supply chains, and establish India as a world-class production base,” he noted.

“We’re extremely pleased to join forces with Adani to provide our contribution to India’s vision for an even stronger and growing role of their rotorcraft industry, and to enable the country to access the level of modern technology and operational capability it deserves,” Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo said.

“We look forward to making progress in this endeavour, leveraging our complementary expertise to deliver the best solutions,” he added.

Rajvanshi, in his presentation, projected the immediate need of the Indian armed forces to be 300-plus each of Light Utility Helicopters and Medium Lift Helicopters, 100-plus intermediate helicopters, and 90-plus for Maritime Multi-Role Helicopters.

The tie-up would not be entirely dependent on winning the Indian military tenders, but look at a long-term partnership for building helicopter industrial capabilities in India to meet the global market need and achieve the nation’s self-reliance goals, he said.

Rajesh Kumar Singh, acknowledging that India would not be 100% self-dependent on military hardware, said the nation should rather aim to be self-reliant to the maximum extent possible.

He also highlighted the opportunities for international aerospace and defence companies to partner with Indian companies to build their global ecosystem.

Adani and Leonardo combine would set up a helicopter production ecosystem through technology transfer from Italy to India, create high-value jobs, and build skills, apart from reducing India’s import dependence.

However, Jeet Adani, replying to media questions, said the business plan and investment size for the helicopter venture would be finalised in the next few months. The final assembly line location too would be known soon, he said.

On involving MSMEs in the helicopter venture, Jeet Adani said the supply chain would be important for the success of the helicopter business, and cited the example of Adani Defence and Aerospace experience in its successful drone venture.

As part of their agreement, Adani and Leonardo also aspire to establish a testing facility and a delivery supply chain for their helicopters.

The venture would also explore opportunities in the civil aviation market, apart from maximising localisation, as per the requirements of the new Defence Acquisition Procedure, expected by end of March 2025.

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