Indian company makes chopper airframes for US

New Delhi: The first India-made airframe of the Sikorsky S-92 medium-lift helicopter will be handed over to the US firm in November and there is the distinct possibility of the entire chopper being manufactured in this country at some stage - the first time that a major aviation actitivity is being done in the private sector.
The airframes will be manufactured at the Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) facility in Hyderabad with three being produced this year and the number gradually rising to 38-48 annually.
“The factory is up and running and is fully functional. The first airframe of the S-92 will be handed over in November,” Air Vice Marshal (retd) A.J.S. Walia, managing director (India and South Asia) of Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, told IANS in an interview on the sidelines of the DefExpo land and naval systems exposition.
“This is the first time in the history of independent India that a major aviation activity is starting in the private sector,” Walia pointed out.
From Hyderabad, the airframes will be airlifted or sent by ship to the Sikorsky headquarters at Stratford, Connecticut, where the engines, avionics and interiors will be installed before the helicopter is delivered.
The S-92 is the most advanced helicopter in Sikorsky’s civil product line, certified to the most stringent safety requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
18/02/10 IANS/Thaindian.com, Thailand

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2010, New Feb 2010