India’s HAL will build the Russian KA 226 helicopter in Karnataka.

Defence PSU The new Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) helicopter factory in Tumakuru, which spans 615 acres, is ready to begin phase-1 operations after establishing the manufacturing, structural assembly, final assembly-line facilities, helipad, flight hangar, ATC, equipping hangar, administrative building, and other facilities. According to HAL, the factory was constructed in accordance with industry 4.0 standards and is furnished with IT services and an Integrated Building Management System (IBMS), which serves as the operational hub of the entire campus and has complete control and oversight over all services.

A capacity of 30 LUHs per year has been built for phase-1 operations, and this can be increased to 60 choppers annually. Regarding the Ka-226,  are awaiting approval from the MoD. This has a designated area within the Tumakuru facility. After the agreement is signed, a joint venture between HAL and Russian Helicopters will manufacture the Ka-226 in Tumakuru. According to a deal between New Delhi and Moscow, 200 helicopters will be purchased, 135 for the Indian army and 65 for the Indian Air Force, and some technology will also be transferred.

Although Nirmala Sitharaman, the defence minister, gave a preliminary assessment of the Ka-226 deal’s value of Rs 20,000 crore in the Lok Sabha, commercial negotiations have not yet started. According to the MoD, the LUH has received initial operational clearance (IOC), and HAL is scheduled to complete 12 limited series production (LSP) helicopters by 2023–2024—six for the army and six for the IAF. The first four are anticipated to be finished by the end of this fiscal year, while the remaining eight will be constructed in the next one.

The order for the first 12 LUH was worth between Rs 1,500 crore and Rs 2,000 crore, according to an earlier estimate by Madhavan. The cost may have increased from the early projections, but a revised estimate for the same was not immediately available. In addition, although the Karnataka government declared it has approved the HAL helicopter project in Tumkur with an investment of more than Rs 5,000 crore, there was no official confirmation on how much HAL has invested in the plant thus far. Tumakuru has plans for more expansion, An engine facility carbon filament manufacturing, and the second phase will see an engines facility, carbon filament and composites factory and other facilities come up.