French President Emmanuel Macron visited India on January 26 for Republic Day, and a significant agreement was signed between Tata Group of India and Airbus from France. They have teamed up to manufacture H125 helicopters in Vadodara, Gujarat.
Airbus Helicopters and Tata Group are partnering to make both single-engine helicopters and other aircraft. The manufacturing will happen in Vadodara, and they also plan to build 40 C295 aircraft for transportation purposes. A 36-acre assembly line project in Gujarat is set to start in 2024 and finish by the end of the year. Deliveries of the Made in India H125 helicopters are expected to start before 2026.
These helicopters are designed for commercial use, and as part of the contract, the H125 helicopters will be used in India and can also be exported. Tata and Airbus are already working together on 40 C295 transport aircraft. In 2021, India signed a contract worth Rs 21,000 crore with Airbus Defense and Space, strengthening their collaboration in the aerospace sector.
