Tata, Boeing Aerospace open Apache helicopter unit in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd (TBAL), a joint venture between Boeing Co. and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) on Thursday inaugurated its facility to produce fuselages for the AH-64 Apache helicopter in Hyderabad.

Spread over 14,000-square metres and employing 350 highly skilled workers, the facility will be the sole global producer of fuselages for AH-64 Apache helicopter delivered by Boeing to its global customers including the US Army, a joint press release from Tata and Boeing said.

The



facility will also produce secondary structures and vertical spar boxes of this multi-role combat helicopter. The delivery of the first fuselage is expected in 2018, it added.

Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telangana minister for Industries and IT, KT Rama Rao inaugurated the facility. Inaugurating the facility Sitharaman said, "I congratulate Tata and Boeing for making this substantial investment in the defence space," she said. After May 2014, there has been a great push to revive manufacturing, she added.