Airbus Helicopters will establish a new production line in India for the H125 light-single in partnership with Tata Group.
Deliveries from the new plant, the location of which is still to be decided, are due to begin in 2026 following a 24-month set-up period.
Once established, it will be the fourth assembly line for the H125, following the airframer’s headquarters in Marignane in southern France, and facilities in Columbus, Mississippi, and Itajuba in Brazil.
Airbus Helicopters says output from the Indian line will address demand from the domestic market and some neighbouring countries.
However, that is likely to exclude supplies to neighbouring Pakistan, given the long-standing antipathy between the two countries. The Pakistani army operates a substantial fleet of AS550 Fennecs – an older military variant of the H125.
Last year, Airbus Helicopters took orders for 108 H125s, down on the 161 it booked in 2022.
The new plant will be the first helicopter production line in India to be set up by the private sector rather than state-owned entities.
Partnering with Airbus Helicopters is Tata Advanced Systems, which already has experience in rotorcraft aerostructures, supplying fuselage sections for the Boeing AH-64 Apache and Sikorsky S-92.
It is also a supplier to the Airbus A350 and A320 commercial aircraft programmes, among others.
The announcement was made during the two-day visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India as part of the Republic Day celebrations on 26 January.
