The clearance to the joint bid by the Airbus-Tata consortium as well as the approval given to a Russian firm to build military helicopters will set the ball rolling for a vibrant aerospace ecosystem in the country, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Saturday.
The Minister, who was in his home State, lamented that the Air Force has to rely on its existing fleet 250-odd Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, which are 30 years old.
14 of the IAF transport planes to be purchased from Airbus-Tata consortium valued at `11,930 crore will given to the Indian military in “flying condition” while the rest of the 42 will be manufactured in India.
“Out of them, 50 per cent (or) more parts (use to manufacture the planes) will be indigenous,” Parrikar said.
“From this, aero ecosystem, especially which relates to manufacture of aviation parts will get a boost… It will provide a kick-start to the private aviation industry,” Parrikar said, adding that over time, the proportion of indigenous parts in the planes would go above 50 per cent in time.