Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation a helicopter production facility of state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Karnataka's Tumakuru on Monday. The greenfield helicopter factory, spread across 615 acres, is planned with a vision to become a one-stop solution for all helicopter requirements of the country, a defence ministry statement said on Saturday.
It is India's largest helicopter manufacturing facility and will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs), it said. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) plans to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the range of 3-15 tonnes, with a total business of over Rs 4 lakh crore over a period of 20 years. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and senior officials of the Ministry of Defence will be present at the inauguration ceremony of the production facility.
LUH is an indigenously designed and developed 3-tonne class, single-engine multipurpose utility helicopter with unique features of high manoeuvrability. Initially, this factory will produce around 30 helicopters per year and this can be enhanced to 60 and then 90 per year in a phased manner, the ministry said. The first LUH has been flight tested and is ready for unveiling.
