Adani Group, Italian major Leonardo to set up helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India

Adani Group and Italian major Leonardo on Tuesday announced a strategic partnership to establish an integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India as the diversified group strengthens its presence in the high-growth potential aerospace sector. The announcement comes a week after Adani Defence & Aerospace and Brazilian major Embraer announced a strategic collaboration that aims to set up a regional aircraft manufacturing facility in the country.

Adani Defence & Aerospace and Leonardo on Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding for the partnership at an event in the national capital. The partnership will target the Indian Armed Forces’ requirements, particularly for Leonardo’s advanced AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters. “The collaboration will deliver phased indigenisation, robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and comprehensive pilot training,” a release said.

It will be a significant boost for the ‘Make In India’ efforts and to make the country more self-reliant. India has a low helicopter penetration density of less than 250 helicopters for the country’s population, and the country will need around 100 helicopters annually for the next 10 years. Adani Defence & Aerospace Director Jeet Adani said it was laying the foundation for an aviation ecosystem that serves the nation across civil and defence needs.

The partnership with Leonardo is rooted not only in shared expertise but in shared purpose, he said. “Together, we will build an ecosystem on Indian soil that brings manufacturing, assembly, training, and world-class support into one cohesive whole,” he added. Adani Defence & Aerospace CEO Ashish Rajvanshi said with the Indian Armed Forces projecting demand for over 1,000 helicopters in the coming decade, this partnership realises the vision for sovereign manufacturing.

The global helicopter market is expected to be worth $100 billion by 2033. Rajvanshi said India’s helicopter market, which accounts for 2 per cent of the global market, offers significant growth opportunity across defence, civil and commercial segments.