Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday virtually inaugurated the final assembly line of H-125 helicopters built jointly by Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus at Vemagal in Karnataka.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “Today, the inauguration of the helicopter assembly line in India is another shining example of this deep trust. We are proud that India and France together will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest. And this will also be exported across the world. That means the India–France partnership has no boundaries. It can reach from the deep oceans to the tallest mountains.”
Know all about H125 helicopters
Significantly, the ‘Made in India’ H125 helicopter will help meet the Indian armed force’s requirement for a light multi-role helicopter and develop new civil and para-public market segments.
H125 helicopters will essentially contribute to army operations on the icy heights of the country’s Himalayan frontiers.
The Tata and Airbus plan will include a military version, the H125M, which will be offered out of this Indian factory with high levels of indigenised components and technologies.
H125 helicopter is expected in early 2027
The TASL had said in a release earlier that the delivery of the first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected in early 2027 and added that the helicopter will be available for exports in the South Asian region as well.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi held wide-ranging talks with French President Emmanuel Macron to boost ties in key sectors such as trade, defence, energy and critical technologies.
Macron landed in Mumbai early this morning on a three-day visit to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and meet PM Modi.
Macron to attend launch of India-France Year of Innovation
After the talks with Modi, Macron will attend a ceremony to launch the India-France Year of Innovation. His visit comes days after India cleared a long-pending proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets under a government-to-government framework with France.
It has been billed as one of the world's biggest military procurement programmes in recent years. It is learnt that shoring up defence cooperation and enhancing bilateral engagement in the critical technology sector are priority areas to take forward the ties.
"Welcome to India! India looks forward to your visit and to advancing our bilateral ties to new heights. I am confident that our discussions will further strengthen cooperation across sectors and contribute to global progress," PM Modi said on social media earlier in the day in response to a post by Macron.
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