Neelam Mathews

The Tata Group and Airbus Helicopters are close to confirming the location of the final assembly line where they will make H125 rotorcraft in India. This will be the first privately-owned helicopter manufacturer in India, with Bangalore reportedly emerging as the likely site from a shortlist of five possible locations.
Through their joint venture, Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus will integrate all components for the single-engined helicopters, as well as install all avionics and mission systems, electrical harnesses, hydraulics, fuel systems, flight controls, and the Safran Arriel 2D turboshafts. The new operation will compete with the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) developed by government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics for both the civil and defense markets.
Under an eight-year agreement, the first aircraft is due to be delivered from the India facility by the end of 2026. Production plans call for an initial 52 H125s to be manufactured at the site, with Airbus holding orders for 40 of these from customers located around the world, with the remaining 12 to be sold directly by the Tata subsidiary.
During the Aero India trade show held in Bangalore from February 10 to 14, Himalayan Heli Services ordered a pair of H125s. This deal will expand the Indian operator’s fleet to eight, adding to the six Airbus AS350B3/3E helicopters it already has in service.
<h2>Competition for HAL’s Light Helicopter</h2>
During Aero India, Hindustan Aeronautics presented a military version of the LUH in the show’s flying display. So far, at its factory in Bangalore, the company has produced six limited-series production examples of the helicopter, which is powered by a single Safran Shakti turboshaft engine and has a Safran flight control system.
Hindustan Aeronautics is now working on type certification for the civil version of the LUH with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. According to the company’s chairman and managing director, D.K. Sunil, it is expected to start flight testing in mid-2026.
<figure role="group" class="caption caption-img">
<img alt="Hindustan Aeronautics' Light Utility Helicopter" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1d7ce27b-b0a7-426d-8377-5b49fc2b48fc" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Aero%20India%204D39AB7A-733D-4C4F-92A1-7FF53653F50F.JPG" width="2016" height="1512" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>Hindustan Aeronautics' Light Utility Helicopter was on display at the Aero India show in Bangalore. (Neelam Mathews)</figcaption>
</figure>

Sunil told AIN&nbsp;that the LUH will be able to compete with the H125 in the civil market. It offers a higher takeoff weight and payload with the ability to carry two pilots and six passengers, compared with the seven-seat Airbus design, which has a higher maximum speed of 136 knots versus the LUH's 127 knots. “We’re not afraid of competition,” he commented.
Both helicopters can operate in hot-and-high environments, configured for missions including aerial work, firefighting, law enforcement, and air ambulance flights. However, they cannot be used for VIP charter flights in India, where the authorities require aircraft to have two engines for such operations.
Separately, Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus are also manufacturing the C295 military transport aircraft. In October, the partners opened a final assembly line at Vadodara in Gujarat state.

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