Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated country's largest helicopter factory in Karnataka's Tumakuru. It is a dedicated new greenfield helicopter factory that will enhance India’s capacity and ecosystem to build helicopters, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a tweet.


The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) helicopter factory will produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) initially followed by Light Comabt Helicopters (LCH) and later Indian Multirole Helicopters (IMRH). The helicopter factory foundation stone was also laid by PM Modi in 2016 and is spread across 615 acres.






Also read | Despite Pandemic And War, India Remained Global Bright Spot In 2022: PM Modi In Bengaluru


"The inauguration of the Helicopter Factory of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is a milestone in the journey of achieving self-reliance in the defence sector," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said as quoted by news agency ANI.


This facility will enable India to meet its entire requirement of helicopters indigenously and will attain the distinction of enabling self-reliance in helicopter design, development and manufacture in India.


"HAL plans to produce more than 1,000 helicopters in the range of 3-15 tonne, with a total business of more than Rs 4 lakh crore over a period of 20 years. Besides generating direct and indirect employment, the Tumakuru facility will boost the development of surrounding areas through its CSR activities with large-scale community-centric programmes on which the company will spend substantial amounts," the defence ministry said in a statement, as quoted by Hindustan Times.


Besides inaugurating the helicopter factory, PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of Tumakuru Industrial Township. Under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme, the development of the industrial township spread across 8,484 acres in three phases in Tumakuru has been taken up as part of the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.


The Prime Minister have also laid the foundation stones of two Jal Jeevan Mission projects at Tiptur and Chikkanayakanahalli in Tumakuru.