By IANS,
Hyderabad: The work on Tata Advanced Systems’ facility on the outskirts of Hyderabad to manufacture Sikorsky helicopter cabins formally began Thursday as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy unveiled a plaque for the project.
The facility to assemble fuselages of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters is coming up at the Aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ) being developed by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in Adibatla.
Unveiling the plaque at a function held at a hotel this evening, the chief minister said Tata would be investing Rs.30 billion (Rs.3000 crore) for setting up this faciliy.
Tata Advanced Systems Limited CEO and MD Lt. Gen. (retd) Davinder Kumar said it would be a state-of-the-art facility and is scheduled for completion by 2010. The first Sikorsky S-92 cabin is scheduled for delivery in late 2010.
The officials of Tata Advanced Systems said the facility would be AS9100 certified and will also meet the global standards of aerospace engineering.
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp of the United States and Tata Advanced Systems recently signed a memorandum of understanding to manufacture cabins for S-92 helicopters — a four-bladed twin-engine medium lift helicopter for civil operations which incorporates the most advanced helicopter technology. The helicopters perform search and rescue missions, transport oil workers to offshore platforms and other assignments.
Tata Advanced Systems is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons and is a lead company for providing integrated solutions for aerospace, defence, homeland security and disaster management.