Article Posted on : - Feb 27, 2012

The S-92 helicopter. A Sikorsky photo

NEW DELHI (PTI): Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and American firm Sikorsky are planning to develop Hyderabad as the major hub for producing their S-92 Superhawk helicopters by the end of 2013.

The two companies have approached the government for a defence license after which they plan to produce 80 per cent of the component of the S-92 and its military variant H-92 at the Hyderabad facility of TASL.

"The Sikorsky-TASL Joint Venture has plans of developing our facility in Hyderabad as hub of our S-92 helicopter production and once we get the defence license, we will start producing 80 per cent of the content of the chopper there," Sikorsky India head Air Vice Marshal (retd) A J S Walia told PTI here.

Currently, the facility produces smaller number of cabins but the capacity is being increased to produce three cabins a month. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan is the major supplier of these cabins and components to the American helicopter manufacturer.

Walia said the TASL will soon achieve a major milestone as the first cabin produced by it has been integrated into a full-fledged chopper in the US and is ready for delivery to a global customer in the next few weeks.

The first cabin was produced by the facility in November 2010 and was then shipped to Pennsylvania in the US for final integration into a final product.

The joint venture between TASL and Sikorsky was formed in 2009 and the Indian company has 74 per cent shares in it.