Adani Group and Italian aerospace firm Leonardo have announced a strategic partnership to set up an integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Tuesday in New Delhi and is expected to give a boost to the Make in India programme while helping the country become more self-reliant in defence production.

Under the agreement, Adani Defence & Aerospace and Leonardo will work together to build a complete ecosystem that includes manufacturing, assembling, training, and long-term support for helicopters in India. The collaboration will focus on meeting the needs of the Indian Armed Forces and strengthening domestic helicopter production.

The strategic tie-up will be aimed especially at producing Leonardo’s advanced helicopter models – the AW169M and the AW109 TrekkerM – within India. These helicopters are expected to serve various defence requirements of the country.

According to the official release, the collaboration will provide phased indigenisation, develop robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and offer comprehensive pilot training.

India has a relatively low helicopter penetration, with fewer than 250 helicopters currently serving its population. Industry estimates show that the country may require around 100 helicopters each year over the next decade to meet both defence and civil aviation needs. This makes it important for India to build its own helicopter production base rather than depend on imports.

Jeet Adani, Director of Adani Defence & Aerospace, explained why this partnership is important: “Together, we will build an ecosystem on Indian soil that brings manufacturing, assembly, training, and world-class support into one cohesive whole.” He said this initiative is intended to lay the foundation for an aviation ecosystem that serves both the defence and civil needs of the country.

Jeet Adani also stated that the partnership with Leonardo is based not only on shared technical expertise but also on a shared purpose to advance India’s helicopter capabilities.

Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence & Aerospace, underlined the long-term defence requirement of India. He said that the Indian Armed Forces have projected a demand for over 1,000 helicopters in the coming decade, and this collaboration will help realise the goal of sovereign manufacturing in India.

Rajvanshi added that building a helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in the country will help accelerate indigenisation and strengthen the local supply chain, ensuring that India can produce high-quality helicopters domestically rather than relying on foreign suppliers.

From Leonardo’s side, Gian Piero Cutillo, Managing Director of Leonardo Helicopters, spoke about India’s growing helicopter requirements. He said the country is a big market and that its armed forces have increasing needs for helicopters.

Cutillo also said, “We’re extremely pleased to join forces with Adani to provide our contribution to India’s vision for an even stronger and growing role of their rotorcraft industry, and to enable the country to access the level of modern technology and operational capability it deserves.” He added that he looked forward to progress in this venture by using the complementary expertise of the two companies.

The partnership comes at a time when India is pushing forward with its self-reliance goals in defence manufacturing. Strengthening helicopter production capacity within the country is seen as part of a broader effort to increase domestic defence capabilities under the government’s policy framework.

This MoU with Leonardo was signed shortly after Adani Defence & Aerospace also entered into another strategic collaboration with Brazilian aerospace company Embraer, which aims to build a regional aircraft manufacturing facility in India.

Overall, this helicopter manufacturing agreement between Adani Group and Leonardo represents a significant step toward building a complete aviation manufacturing ecosystem in India, supporting both defence and civil aviation needs, creating skilled jobs, and contributing to the country’s industrial and technological growth.