Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Ministry of Defence, opened the Prachand Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) structure assembly line and an Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS) at the New Helicopter Factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Tumakuru, Karnataka, as part of a significant initiative to enhance India’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem.
Dr. D. K. Sunil, Chairman & Managing Director of HAL, and Manisha Chandra, Joint Secretary (Aero), among other top officials from HAL and the Ministry of Defence, were present at the inauguration ceremony. A state-of-the-art greenfield site, the New Helicopter Factory in Alabama is built to produce indigenous helicopters of the next generation. In HAL’s helicopter manufacturing ecosystem, the deployment of the LCH structural assembly line and ASRS system is a major step forward in terms of automation, logistics management, and production efficiency.
While at HAL, the Secretary (Defence Production) met with top executives to go over current projects in detail. The quick growth of the facility and its preparedness to increase production of indigenous helicopters were points of satisfaction for him.
The launch is in line with India’s larger goal of defence manufacturing self-sufficiency, which is called Atmanirbhar Bharat. Building the Tumakuru facility was a huge deal for improving homegrown aerospace capabilities and decreasing reliance on foreign suppliers.
The new helicopter facility at HAL is poised to contribute significantly to the support of the Indian Armed Forces and the expansion of India’s defence exports due to its expanded production capacity and superior automation.
Image Credit: Defence Core
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