HAL’s new helicopter manufacturing facility to be inaugurated on February 6

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) new helicopter manufacturing facility will be inaugurated on February 6.

The helicopter manufacturing facility at Biderehalla Kaval, Gubbi Taluk, Tumakuru, will house infrastructure for production, testing facilities and manufacturing capabilities of a wide range of helicopters of 3-ton to 12-ton class. The facility is spread over 615 acres of land allotted by the Government of Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for HAL’s new helicopter manufacturing facility in 2016.

The facility will have mainly buildings, heli runways, and landscaping to produce initially Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) and ultimately futuristic helicopters of new generation. Earlier this month, the Director of Defence Exhibition Organisation reviewed the helicopter facility.

New gen helicopter

The LUH is a 3-ton class new generation helicopter being developed by HAL to meet the requirements of both military and civil operators.

HAL’s Rudra, Dhruv, Cheetah, Chetak, Cheetal and Lancer helicopters are at present manufactured at the defence PSU’s helicopter division in Bengaluru.

Mr. Modi while laying the foundation stone in 2016 said that nearly 4,000 families, direct or indirect will benefit from the investment of ₹5,000 crores in Tumakuru. He also said HAL would produce 600 helicopters in a 15-year period.