Russian Helicopters plans to set up production base in India

A Russian helicopter company has taken a multi-pronged approach under the ‘Make in India’ initiative by planning to start a chopper production base and a long-term supply chain network in India.

Russian Helicopters, along with its main partner Hindustan Aeronautical Ltd (HAL), is elevating its strategic partnership in India to the next level with plans to work with a number of companies in the manufacturing and supply chain of helicopters and spare parts, said deputy chief executive officer Igor Chechikov. “India is our strategic partner and we are working on a number of business plans to be a leading part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” Chechikov said here. RH aims to finalise all discussions and configuration by end of this year to move to the implementation phase of the contract.

RH and HAL, maintaining their long-term partnerships, will select a number of new qualified partners to participate in the helicopter production, offering opportunities to innovators within the small and medium enterprises, said Chechikov. Additionally, RH and HAL are also discussing the supply of a number of new models of choppers to the Indian armed forces and Border Security Force, he said, underlining the importance of keeping RH’s versatile brands on the forefront of the Indian market.

Chechikov also elaborated on the long-term contract for maintenance covering aggregates and spare parts as well as training for personnel. “Our proposals cover all segments of services to support the helicopter fleet in India,” he said.