Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the helicopter factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday in Karnataka's Tumakuru. He also unveiled Light Utility Helicopter made in the latest helicopter factory. The event was also attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
It is a dedicated new greenfield helicopter factory that will enhance the capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters. Asia's largest helicopter manufacturing facility, this helicopter factory will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUH).
LUH is an indigenously designed and developed 3-ton class, single-engine multipurpose utility helicopter with the unique feature of high maneuverability, informed the government on Saturday.
The factory will be expanded to manufacture other helicopters such as Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH) as well as for repair and overhaul of LCH, LUH, Civil ALH and IMRH in the future.
The factory also has the potential for exporting the Civil LUHs in the future. This facility will enable India to meet its entire requirement of helicopters indigenously and will attain the distinction of enabling self-reliance in helicopter design, development and manufacture in India.
The factory will have a manufacturing set-up of Industry 4.0 standards. Over the next 20 years, HAL is planning to produce more than 1000 helicopters in the class of 3-15 tonnes from Tumakuru. This will result in providing employment for around 6000 people in the region.
(With inputs from ANI)
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