‘India’s Tumakuru facility poised to become a global hub for helicopter manufacturing’

Times Now: It must have been an incredible experience to have the Prime Minister visit the facility, inaugurate it, and make such positive remarks about the organization.
CB Ananthakrishnan: We are grateful for this opportunity. I can say we felt truly honoured and privileged by the presence of our esteemed Prime Minister to dedicate the Tumakuru facility to the nation and unveil our new light utility helicopter product. The Prime Minister’s recognition of HAL has been widely discussed among our employees and has served as a major source of motivation. We are all thrilled by the respect the Prime Minister has shown for HAL, and it will serve as a great source of inspiration for all of us at the company. We are confident that with such encouragement from our honourable Prime Minister, we will be able to achieve even more and meet his expectations.

Times Now: It’s being said that this is one of the largest plants in South Asia. Can you discuss its production capability and the demand for the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)? Can you also provide more information about the LUH and the facility itself?
CB Ananthakrishnan: The Light Utility Helicopter is a cutting-edge helicopter designed in the three-tonne category and manufactured by HAL. It aligns with the vision of our esteemed Prime Minister to achieve self-reliance and Atma Nirbharta for our country’s defence systems, serving as the Indian solution for replacing the aging French-origin Cheetah and Chetaks.

This LUH has been constructed using state-of-the-art technologies, including advanced avionics and a higher-powered engine as well as a transmission system. We have addressed all the experiences and shortcomings we have noted in the older Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which have been in service for nearly three to four decades. The LUH is capable of landing at the highest altitudes and is one of its kind in the world, meeting the requirements of the defence forces and addressing their concerns. It will be a perfect fit for their use in the defence ecosystem.

Times Now: HAL has faced challenges in building fighter jet engines, but when it comes to helicopters, you are one of the leading manufacturers globally. How do you boost production rates while ensuring quality remains uncompromised?

CB Ananthakrishnan: As you can see, we are talking about producing 30 helicopters in the Tumakuru facility, which will be scaled up to 60 in phase two, and eventually up to 90. This shows the confidence we have in the helicopter segment. In addition to this facility, our existing facility in Bengaluru is capable of producing another 30 helicopters. This significant capacity build demonstrates our confidence in the chopper industry. We have a number of programs underway, such as the advanced light utility helicopters, of which over 300 have already been delivered to defence customers. Additionally, we have programs for the light combat helicopter, the light utility helicopter that is being unveiled today, and the Indian Medium Role Helicopter. This range of programs will allow us to be a global manufacturing hub for helicopters and the capacities we have built will come in very handy.

Times Now: Can you provide an update on the readiness of the facility? Specifically, how confident were you in meeting the initial deadlines and when can people expect it to be fully operational?
CB Ananthakrishnan: As of today, operations have begun. The structural work is complete, and the factory is now ready to start building structures. The equipping stage is also underway, and the flight hanger has been completed as part of the first phase of the project. This means that we are now capable of producing and testing up to 30 helicopters.
Our goal is to expand the capacity to 60 helicopters once the second phase of the factory is complete. If there is enough demand, we aim to eventually produce up to 90 helicopters. We are also working on creating an ecosystem within the factory by partnering with MSMEs.

Times Now: Being close to the Bengaluru facility, does this help with commuting for senior officials between the two locations?
CB Ananthakrishnan: Definitely. We already have an established facility in Bengaluru and many of our ancillary industries are in Peenya. This means there is already a thriving ecosystem in Bengaluru which will now extend to Tumakuru. Having our factory and the ecosystem in Bengaluru established makes it easier for us to expand to Tumakuru. We are confident that once it is fully operational, it will be one of the largest facilities in India and Asia.”

Times Now: Can you tell us about the progress of IMRH production? The Prime Minister recently mentioned it.
CB Ananthakrishnan: IMRH is a unique category of helicopters, being a 12-tonne helicopter as opposed to our current 3.3-tonne LUH and 5.5-tonne advanced light helicopter. We have already initiated the design process and completed the preliminary design review. Our aim is to complete the design activity within the next three to four years. We’re also in the process of finalizing the engine configuration and establishing an engine partnership within India, as opposed to relying on foreign OEMs for engine production. We aim to retain the engine IPR within the country for this program.

Times Now: Is there a plan to fully relocate the operations to Tumakuru, or will both facilities run concurrently?
CB Ananthakrishnan: Both facilities will continue to operate, as we have sufficient work to keep both plants busy. Tumakuru will be an additional resource, not a replacement.