Mahindra Secures Order For H130 Fuselage From Airbus Helicopters
The H130 is an intermediate single-engine helicopter tailored for passenger transport, tourism and private and business aviation, as well as medical airlift and surveillance missions.
Mahindra Aerostructures, a unit of automaker Mahindra and Mahindra, has won an order from Airbus Helicopters to manufacture and assemble the main fuselage of its H130 light single-engine helicopter, the company said on Wednesday.
Under the agreement, Mahindra Aerostructures will produce the H130’s main fuselage assembly in its local facility, which will then be shipped to Airbus Helicopters’ facilities in Europe. The first completed fuselage will be delivered to Airbus Helicopters’ facilities in Europe by March 2027. Production setup will begin immediately to meet this target.
The H130 is an intermediate single-engine helicopter tailored for passenger transport, tourism and private and business aviation, as well as medical airlift and surveillance missions. It has a wide, unobstructed cabin, which accommodates the pilot and up to seven passengers.
The contract was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director of Airbus in India and South Asia, and Anish Shah, Group CEO and Managing Director of the Mahindra Group.
"As a global leader, Airbus has played a transformative role in nurturing India’s aerospace ecosystem and showcasing it on the world stage. It is an honour for us to build on our proven track record with Airbus, harness our industrial process excellence, and embark on this new initiative," said Anish Shah, Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group. "This collaboration highlights our commitment to supporting the Government of India's flagship 'Make in India' program.”
Mahindra already supplies a variety of parts and sub-assemblies for Airbus’ commercial aircraft programmes. The latest contract marks a significant milestone for Mahindra as it continues to expand its portfolio of capabilities from parts and sub-assemblies to larger and more complex aerostructures.
Mahindra Aerostructures, which also counts Boeing and Dassault Aviation among its customers, did not disclose financial details of the deal.
For Airbus, India is both a major market and a strategic resource hub. Today, every Airbus commercial aircraft has components and technologies made in India. Currently, Airbus’ annual procurement of components and services from India stand at $1.4 billion. It aims to increase its annual procurement to $2 billion by the end of this decade.
In January last year, the Airbus unit had signed a deal with India's Tata group to manufacture civilian helicopters together. "Works are progressing well and we expect our first H125 helicopter to roll out by the end of 2026," said Sunny Guglani, head of Airbus' Helicopters division for India and South Asia.
