Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, on February 17, 2026, virtually inaugurated, from Mumbai, Tata Advanced Systems Final Assembly Line of the Airbus H-125 Light Utility Helicopter, located at Vemagal, Karnataka. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Ms Catherine Vautrin, Union Minister of Civil Aviation KR Naidu and Minister for Large & Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka Dr MB Patil were present at the Final Assembly Line facility during the virtual inauguration.
A milestone in the strategic partnership between India and France
In his address, Rajnath Singh described the final assembly line of H-125 helicopters as a milestone in the strategic partnership between India and France. “Our collaboration with France is limitless, where even sky is not a limit to our mutually beneficial partnership,” he said, congratulating TASL and Airbus Helicopters for the H-125 initiative which follows their earlier collaboration to manufacture C-295 transport aircraft in India. He termed the project as a symbol of how India can collaborate with international Original Equipment Manufacturers to contribute to the Make-in-India vision.
Emphasising that Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat have been the cornerstones of India’s economic policy since 2014, Rajnath Singh termed the initiative as one of the major highlights of PM Modi-led Government’s commitment to achieving self-reliance in critical technologies and manufacturing high-end products & equipment through mutually beneficial partnerships with friendly countries.
Direct & indirect employment opportunities
Rajnath Singh pointed out that the H-125 program investment is anticipated to exceed Rs 1,000 crore and is likely to create direct & indirect employment opportunities for skilled and hardworking youth. He dubbed the H-125 helicopters as a platform renowned for its exceptional reliability, versatility, and outstanding performance in diverse operating conditions. “The H-125 has proven to be one of the most effective and trusted single-engine helicopters globally,” he said
