Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) is keen to work with RUAG, an international group for aerospace and defence, to build a full-fledged aircraft, TASL chairman S. Ramadorai said Monday.
"Our vision is to work with RUAG in having a full aircraft equipped with systems flying out from Tatas' final assembly. This will be of significant importance to the Indian armed forces in their desire to produce products locally for global impact," he said here.
Ramadorai was speaking at the ground breaking ceremony of a new project of TASL to manufacture fuselage and wing for the Dornier 228 New Generation aircraft.
This is the fourth aerostructure project of TASL at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Adibatla on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The company believes it has taken the company closer to its vision of building a complete aircraft.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone for the project at a ceremony held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).
Martin Buhlmann, vice president, supply chain management, RUAG Aviation, was present.
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A Swiss technology and defence company, RUAG has its headquarters in Bern.
"It is our belief that this project is a significant step forward in India's growth as high-technology precision manufacturing destination. This project has great significance for Telangana and Hyderabad," said Ramadorai.
He said the project has reinforced Hyderabad's position on global aerospace map. He described the Tata-RUAG partnership as a living example of cooperation between India and Europe.
"It also demonstrates the success of Tatas in developing a highly skilled and motivated work force for manufacturing, which is ready to undertake high technology work for global customers," he added.
The TASL chairman claimed that in a short span of five years, TASL has become a significant player in global aerospace market.
The firm has already delivered over 70 cabins for Sikorsky S92 helicopters. Under a joint venture with Sikorsky, TASL indigenized production of the entire cabin.
TASL also has a joint venture with Lockheed Martin to manufacture the empennage and centre wing box for the C-130 J aircraft.
He pointed out that American Helicopter Society, the premier global organization for vertical flight, has recognized TASL for its outstanding product quality, with its prestigious International Fellowship Award.
This is the first time ever an Indian company has received the award.
The chief minister said it was the determination and strong endeavour of his government to make Telangana a leader in aerospace and defence sector.
He said Adibatla aerospace SEZ was one of its kind in the world on the lines of Seattle in the US and Nagoya of Japan.
"The SEZ is set to become a global hub along with many such specialized clusters planned as part of the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR)," he said.
Rao said Telangana region had a unique advantage of having large number of research organisations and research laboratories which provide a strong base for collaborative research between manufacturers of components and researchers of aerospace technology.
Martin Buhlmann said Dornier was linked to India for many years and that they were proud to add another chapter to the success story.
He said it was about two years ago that they decided to re-launch Dornier 228 New Generation programme with a truly global perspective.
This required a new engine, new digital cockpit and a new strong partnership to meet the ambition.
"We found a strong partner in Tata for the backbone of the plane - fuselage and wing," he said, and hoped that this will be a long and true partnership.
RUAG has production facilities in Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, France, Austria, Hungary, Australia and the US.