India Aviation: Textron considers Bell helicopter plant in country
US-based aircraft and rotocraft maker Textron Inc, known for its Bell range of helicopters, is contemplating setting up a facility to manufacture Bell 407 helicopters in India, according to its India president and managing director Inderjit Sial.
“We are currently exploring the potential as the key component (Bell 407 cabin) has already been established here. We are now doing a feasibility study and the facility will be up and running during the 2018-19 time frame,” he told Business Standard.
Textron, which also has aircraft brands like Cessna Grand Caravan EX and Beechcraft King Air 350i, has a development centre in Bengaluru employing over 500 aeronautical engineers.
Stating that the India staff was already working on the design and development of other components and parts of the company’s proposed fully-made-in-India Bell 407 chopper, Sial said, Textron was in active discussion with various state governments, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, for establishing the manufacturing plant.
“Our intent is to go to a location where the right skills are available and full support by the local government is extended,” he said, while declining to comment further.
Textron had partnered Dynamatic Limited for manufacturing the Bell 407 cabins in Bengaluru in 2011, to cater to the export markets. The company currently has a capacity to manufacture four 407 cabins per month, which are exported back to the US. Sial said that the company was aiming at increasing the capacity of 407 cabins production in India to 120 units a year by 2017.
According to him, Bell 407 is the single-largest performer for Textron in terms of sales volumes. Bell helicopter has maintained a solid presence in the Asia-Pacific region for over 30 years, with an installed fleet of more than 1,000 helicopters serving multiple mission segments, Sial said that the company was seeing huge opportunity for Bell 407 in India, and was looking at positioning it as the right replacement to Chetak and Cheetah helicopters.
“We are looking at participating in the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter (RSH) military programme, which is part of the Indian government’s Make in India initiative. An RFS (request for service) has already been called for, and we expect the Indian military to induct at least 400 Bell 407s if the project is awarded to us,” Sial said.
