Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Limited have partnered to produce the H125 helicopter in India at a new facility in Vemagal, Karnataka.
First announced in January 2024, the project marks the country’s first privately operated rotary-wing aircraft assembly line.
The plant, near Bengaluru, will build helicopters for domestic use and export across South Asia, with first deliveries expected in early 2027.
Airbus’ H125 is a single-engine helicopter used globally for medical flights, disaster response, tourism, policing, and passenger transport.
Its tactical version, the H125M, will also be offered to the Indian Armed Forces for high-altitude missions, including operations along the Himalayan frontier.
Boosting Local Aircraft Industry
The Karnataka facility will oversee assembly, integration, testing, and final flight trials for the H125 helicopters.
Airbus currently sources about $1.4 billion in parts and services each year from Indian suppliers, including fuselages, aircraft doors, and helicopter cabins.
The company has been active in the nation for more than six decades, beginning with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s licensed production of the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which the H125M is expected to replace over time.
“India is an ideal helicopter country,” said Jürgen Westermeier, president and managing director of Airbus India and South Asia. “A ‘Made in India’ helicopter will help develop this market and position helicopters as an essential tool for nation-building.”
Sukaran Singh, chief executive of Tata Advanced Systems, echoed Westermeier, saying the milestone “will bolster both civil and defence requirements” and continues New Delhi’s earlier works with Airbus, including the C295 transport aircraft facility in Gujarat.
The H125 Helicopter
The Airbus H125 can carry a crew of two pilots and up to six passengers. Its useful load is 1,075 kilograms (2,370 pounds), supported by a standard fuel tank capacity of 435 kilograms (959 pounds).
The helicopter has a length of 13 meters (43 feet) and a main rotor diameter of 11 meters (36 feet).
It is powered by a Safran Helicopter Engines Arriel 2D engine with 952 horsepower for a maximum altitude of 7,010 meters (22,999 feet), a top speed of 252 kilometers (157 miles) per hour, a range of 630 kilometers (391 miles), and a maximum endurance of more than four hours.
The H125 is part of Airbus’ Ecureuil family of helicopters, which has logged more than 40 million flight hours worldwide and can operate in extreme conditions. The H125 remains the only helicopter to have landed on Mount Everest.
