Adani Group and Leonardo Sign Deal for Helicopter Production

Adani Group and Italian major Leonardo on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership to establish an integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India. The relocation will enhance the mission of Make in India and enhance Indian drive towards self-sufficiency in defense aviation.

Adani Defense and Aerospace and Leonardo signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi with an aim of jointly handling the increasing military helicopters requirements in India. The collaboration will be geared towards production, assembling, educating and maintaining services that will establish an entire aviation ecosystem on Indian soil.

The alliance will be mainly based on the Indian Armed Forces, and more specifically, Leonardo advanced AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters. As per the official announcement, the project will also have phased indigenization, robust maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and detailed pilot training programs.

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Adani Defence & Aerospace Director Jeet Adani said the partnership aims to build an aviation ecosystem that serves both civil and defense needs. “Together, we will build an ecosystem on Indian soil that brings manufacturing, assembly, training, and world-class support into one cohesive whole,” he said.

CEO Ashish Rajvanshi added that with the armed forces projecting demand for over 1,000 helicopters in the coming decade, the partnership supports India’s vision of sovereign manufacturing.

Leonardo Helicopters Managing Director Gian Piera Cutillo claimed that India is one of the major markets which has fast developing defense needs. The statement comes after Adani Defence has joined forces with Embraer and is highlighting its growing contribution to the aerospace production aspirations in India.