India’s first private sector helicopter final assembly line inaugurated near Kolar in Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) virtually inaugurated the Tata Advanced Systems’ Final Assembly Line for the Airbus H125 helicopter.

The facility in Vemagal in Kolar district of Karnataka, is India’s first private-sector helicopter Final Assembly Line for the Airbus H125. This is the first time the Indian private sector will undertake the manufacturing, integration, testing and maintenance of a sophisticated rotary-wing platform in India.

To start off with, the civil H125 will be built at this facility and in future the military variant of the helicopter could also be built.

The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to be delivered early 2027 and will also be available for export across the South Asian region.

Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus said that the H125M is optimised to serve as a high-altitude force multiplier across a spectrum of critical missions.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who was present on the occasion said that the H-125 programme investment is anticipated to exceed ₹1,000 crore.

“The H-125 programme is likely to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for our skilled and hard working younger generation,” Mr. Singh said.

Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin said the inauguration of the facility is a testament to French-Indian defense cooperation.

Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil said 500 H125 light helicopters will be manufactured over the next 20 years at this facility. Mr. Patil said that 17 acres of land had been allotted for the project.

“After France, the United States and Brazil, Karnataka has now become home to the world’s fourth H125 helicopter manufacturing and Final Assembly Line (FAL) facility, a development that will further strengthen the aerospace ecosystem in the State,” he said.