By N. C. Bipindra

Vemagal (Karnataka): India’s aerospace sector made a major power move on February 17, 2026, as an Indian firm opened the nation’s first private sector helicopter manufacturing facility with European collaboration, building competition for the state-run aircraft maker that enjoyed a monopoly for over 75 years since independence.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited’s Final Assembly Line for the Airbus H125 helicopter at Vemagal in Karnataka were formally opened by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in an online event from Ahmedabad in Gujarat where the two leaders were holding their bilateral summit meeting.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin joined the event in person at Vamagal, in the presence of Indian Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, along with the top leadership of both Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus Helicopters.

“We will take this (India-France) strategic partnership to unprecedented heights. This is a special global strategic patnership in an uncertain global order. This partnership is for global stability,” Modi said on the occasion.

He cited the Final Assembly Line for the Airbus H125 helicopters in Vamagal as an example of the special global strategic partnership evolving between the two nations. “India and France will jointly make the helicopter in india and export to the world. This partnership knows no boundaries. It is deeper than the oceans and taller than mountain.”

The two companies are expected to invest INR 1,000 crore in the H125 facility at Vemagal, generating significant direct and indirect employment.

“We take pride in the fact that, together, India and France will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest and export it to the entire world,” Modi underscored the symbolism of the project.

Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus, in a statement on the occasion, called their partnership as “a watershed for ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) in aerospace,” marking the first time the Indian private sector would undertake the manufacturing, integration, testing and maintenance of a sophisticated rotary-wing platform in India.

By building the civilian H125 helicopters and potentially its military variant H125M in Vemagal, Tata and Airbus would ensure that Indian operators have immediate access to world-class technology with localised maintenance and lifecycle support, maximising helicopter availability, they said.

“We are proud to establish the H125 Helicopter Final Assembly Line, a first in the private sector in India, a landmark step in the nation’s journey towards self-reliance in aerospace and defence,” Tata Sons chairman N. Chandrasekaran said on the occasion.

“This facility reflects the growing depth of India’s industrial capabilities and the strength of our long-standing partnership with Airbus. Together, we are contributing to the creation of a globally competitive aerospace ecosystem in India,” Chandrasekaran said.

“The inauguration of the H125 FAL is a defining step towards India’s civil and defence sovereignty when it comes to vertical lift capabilities,” Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said in the statement.

“By establishing this facility with the Tata Group, Airbus is offering the Indian market a versatile and competitive platform with unrivaled performance that is ‘Made in India’ and tailored for missions across the country’s unique topography,” Even said.

“The FAL will also be able to produce the military version H125M with a level of local manufacturing that ensures the Indian forces remain mission-ready at all times. It will also be a game-changer for the development of the civil helicopter market,” he added.

The ‘Made in India’ H125 is set to become an essential tool for nation-building by supporting the development of critical civil and para-public market segments such as emergency medical service and disaster management as well as law enforcement and regional connectivity under the Government of India’s regional connectivity scheme, UDAN, to bridge the last-mile for tourism and passenger transport, the companies said in the statement.

The H125M is optimised to serve as a high-altitude force multiplier across a spectrum of critical missions. This versatile platform is designed to excel in tactical reconnaissance and surveillance by leveraging its low acoustic and thermal signatures.

Additionally, the H125M provides a decisive edge in high-altitude logistics, ensuring the delivery of vital supplies to remote frontline outposts, and serves as a rapid-response asset for search and rescue or medical evacuation operations, they said.

The H125 is the only helicopter in history to have landed on the summit of Mount Everest, giving it a performance ceiling that exceeds existing light utility fleets.

For the Indian military, which operates in some of the most challenging high-and-hot environments in the world, this performance can be a critical differentiator.

The H125 is the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter and a member of the Écureuil family, which has accumulated more than 40 million flight hours worldwide. The H125 is also the most popular helicopter in India and South Asia.

The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to be delivered early 2027, and will also be available for export across the South Asian region.

This is the second major Tata and Airbus industrial collaboration, following the C295 military transport Final Assembly Line, cementing a comprehensive military aerospace ecosystem in India.

Together, these programmes underscore Airbus’ long-term commitment to building a comprehensive aerospace ecosystem in India across manufacturing, assembly, maintenance, design, digital capabilities and human capital development.

Airbus currently sources components and services worth over USD 1.5 billion annually from India, including complex aerostructures and systems, reinforcing the country’s growing role in Airbus’ global supply chain.

The first private sector helicopter manufacturing facility will challenge the monopoly of India’s state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that had a monopoly for producing choppers for both the Indian civil aviation and military sectors for nearly eight decades since India’s independence.

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