NOB- Karnataka news: The country’s first helicopter manufacturing facility will be set up in Karnataka. European aerospace company Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) will jointly set up a manufacturing facility for H-125 light helicopters in Kolar district of Karnataka. This facility, which will be set up in the Vengal industrial estate in Kolar, will use indigenous technology to manufacture helicopters. The helicopters will be manufactured in an initial batch of 10 units, and then gradually increased to 500 units over 20 years. The helicopters will be supplied to domestic needs, the Indian Army and other countries. India will become the fourth country after France, the US and Brazil to set up a manufacturing unit for the H-125 helicopter, the Economic Times reported. This will be the first privately-run helicopter manufacturing unit in India. It will also give a boost to the Make in India initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in aerospace manufacturing. In addition, the two companies are planning to set up a final assembly line (FAL) for the C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. The main reason why Karnataka has been given a higher priority for setting up a helicopter manufacturing centre than many other states like Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is its well-established aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The Tata Group-owned company has recently acquired 7.40 lakh sq ft of land in the Vengal industrial area of ​​Karnataka for helicopter manufacturing, maintenance, repair and other activities. In this context, the Karnataka government has set up a fast-track clearance window to expedite other contract activities, the Department of Heavy Industries has announced. Also, as per its Aerospace and Defence Policy, Karnataka will provide subsidies like incentives on capital investment, stamp duty and electricity charges for a period of 5 years, along with production-related incentives of 1% of annual turnover. “We are pleased to partner with Airbus to set up the final assembly line for the H-125 helicopters in India. This project will enhance helicopter manufacturing capabilities in India and contribute to the growth of civil aviation in our country,” said Sukaran Singh, CEO and MD, Tata Advanced Systems.