Make in India’ boost: Mahindra to make parts for Airbus Helicopters AS565 MBe Panther rotorcraft

• Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Group are proposing the Panther for India’s Naval Utility Helicopter programme

Airbus Helicopters has awarded a contract to Mahindra Aerostructures to make airframe parts for the AS565 MBe Panther. These parts will be produced at the Mahindra facility in Bengaluru. They will be shipped directly to the Airbus Helicopter production line in Marignane, France where they will be integrated with the rest of the airframe assembly and will form a critical part of the Panthers sold worldwide.

The contract positions Mahindra Aerostructures as the first Indian company to receive a
direct manufacturing contract from Airbus Helicopters as a Tier 1 supplier. Mahindra
Aerostructures will gradually emerge as the global single source supplier to Airbus
Helicopters for these parts. This work package is the first amongst a series of work packages which would embed Mahindra Group firmly in the Airbus Helicopters’ global supply chain and bind the two companies in a long-term ‘Make in India’ partnership.

“We are playing an active role in the development of a helicopter-focused Indian industrial eco-system, and are embedding Indian suppliers into our global supply chain,” said Fabrice Cagnat, Director - Make in India, Airbus Helicopters. “The contract will allow us to qualify Mahindra Aerostructures as a Tier 1 supplier, establish a manufacturing relationship with them on the Panther, and also lay the ground work for a rapid acceleration in terms of industrializing production in India, in case we are selected for the Naval Utility Helicopter programme,” he added.

“We believe this manufacturing relationship will allow us to demonstrate the quality and
competitiveness of Mahindra Aerostructures to Airbus Helicopters. We are already
committed to become a trusted partner and supplier to the Airbus Group for airframe parts and assemblies. This contract with Airbus Helicopters signals our further commitment to work with them to develop a robust Indian ecosystem for both design and build capabilities in aerospace,” said Arvind Mehra, Executive Director & CEO, Mahindra Aerospace.

As announced earlier, Airbus Helicopters and Mahindra Defence are in the process of
forming a joint venture to target India’s military helicopter programmes such as the Naval Utility Helicopter, the Naval Multi-Role Helicopter and the Reconnaissance and Surveillance Helicopter. The AS565 MBe Panther is competing for the Naval Utility Helicopter programme. In case the Indian Government selects the Panther, Airbus Helicopters will establish India as a global hub for Panther production in partnership with Mahindra Defence.

Airbus Helicopters’ Panther is an all-weather, multi-role light rotorcraft, designed for
operation from ship decks, offshore locations and land-based sites. It is made for a multitude of naval warfare and coast guard missions such as maritime surveillance, search and rescue, casualty evacuation, EEZ Surveillance & control counter-terrorism and Anti Surface / Antisubmarine warfare. Some 250 Panther are operated in more than 20 countries by military customers, including 100 in service with the US Coast Guard. Recently, Panther has won contracts in Indonesia and Mexico. With an unmatched state of the art 4-axis digital autopilot, high temperature performance, capability to carry 2 x torpedoes / depth charges and long range radar, the combat proven AS565 MBe Panther is the perfect candidate for the Indian Navy’s Naval Utility Helicopter programme.



About Mahindra Aerospace & Defence
Mahindra Aerospace has led the Mahindra Group’s foray into utility aircraft and aerostructure manufacturing since 2008. Its utility aircraft business, based in Australia, currently produces the Airvan 8, the most capable, rugged and versatile utility aircraft in its class. Certified in more than 30 countries, over 220 are in service. Mahindra Aerospace is also developing a next-gen 10-seat turboprop, the Airvan 10. In the Aerostructures domain, Mahindra Aerospace operates a 250,000 sq ft (25,000 sq. m.) facility in Bengaluru that provides comprehensive capabilities to produce sheet metal parts, surface treatment and assemblies. Approved to AS9100C standards, the facility holds all relevant NADCAP certifications as well as numerous OEM and Tier 1 approvals. Inaugurated in 2013, the plant currently exports parts, components & sub-assemblies for global aircraft platforms.

Mahindra Defence has companies engaged in catering to needs of all three wings of
Defence forces –Army, Airforce and Navy. Our product range includes armoured vehicles, underwater warfare equipment, radars and surveillance equipment’s etc. Through our Land Systems units in India and UAE we have been supplying customized armoured vehicles to the Indian Army and Para Military Forces and overseas customers. Naval Systems unit based in Pune has been supplying Sea Mines, Decoy launcher & Torpedo launchers, large composite structures for defence applications to the Indian Navy. We are also engaged in Defence Electronics through our Telephonics JV.

» (www.mahindra.com)



About Airbus Helicopters
Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus Group, provides the most efficient civil and military helicopter solutions worldwide. Its in-service fleet includes nearly 12,000 helicopters operated by more than 3,000 customers in 154 countries. Airbus Helicopters employs more than 22,000 people worldwide and in 2015 generated revenues of 6.8 billion euros.




» (www.airbushelicopters.com)