Farnborough At A Glance

Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has formalised an agreement with Airbus Helicopters to establish the H125 Final Assembly Line (FAL) in India. This marks the first private sector helicopter assembly facility in India, aimed at producing Airbus’ highly sought-after H125 helicopter from its civil range for both India and neighbouring countries.

The contract was finalised at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, following the initial announcement by Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran on January 26 of this year.

CEO and managing director of Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Sukaran Singh expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “We are pleased to partner with Airbus to establish the final assembly line for H125 helicopters in India. This collaboration, built on TASL’s expertise in airborne platforms and our robust partnership with the Airbus Group, aligns perfectly with the 'Make in India' initiative. It addresses India's burgeoning helicopter market potential and enhances the country's helicopter manufacturing capabilities.”

CEO of Airbus Helicopters, Bruno Even highlighted the strategic importance of local production, stating, “India presents significant opportunities for helicopter operations, and we believe that producing the ‘Made in India’ H125 helicopter is pivotal to unlocking this promising market. We are confident that locally assembled helicopters will open new civil markets, including Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and other critical public services.”

The FAL in India will undertake the integration of major component assemblies, avionics, mission systems, and testing and qualification of the helicopters. It will play a crucial role in delivering helicopters tailored to the diverse needs of Indian and regional customers. Initial deliveries of the ‘Made in India’ H125 helicopters are scheduled to commence in 2026. Tata Advanced Systems and Airbus Helicopters are currently finalising the location for the FAL, with an announcement expected soon.

The H125 helicopter is renowned as the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, celebrated for its versatility and performance in various missions such as aerial work, firefighting, law enforcement, and air ambulance services. Part of Airbus’ Ecureuil family, it has amassed over 40 million flight hours globally, demonstrating its reliability and adaptability in high-and-hot and extreme environments.

C-130J Super Hercules Fleet Soars Past Three Million Flight Hours Worldwide

Lockheed Martin announced at the Farnborough International Airshow that the worldwide C-130J Super Hercules fleet recently surpassed three million flight hours. With 545+ Super Hercules delivered worldwide, this achievement reflects the C-130J’s unmatched global reach, multi-mission versatility and proven tactical performance capabilities.

Operators and crews from 21 nations contributed to this achievement, logging hours through 18 different mission requirements including combat, transport, aerial refuelling, Special Operations, medevac, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, weather reconnaissance, firefighting and commercial freight delivery.

“From the highest landing strip in the world to the snow-packed runways of Antarctica and all the many mission locations in between, these three million hours represent the proven power and wide-reaching presence of the C-130J’s global fleet,” said vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime Missions line of business, Rod McLean. “In celebrating this achievement, we also honour the many crew members, maintainers and airlift partners who truly keep the global Super Hercules fleet ready for any and every mission requirement.”

3 Million Hours By The Numbers

• These hours were logged beginning with the C-130J’s first flight on 5 April 1996.
• Countries with C-130Js contributing to these flight hours include (in order of delivery) the United Kingdom, United States (the USAF, Marine Corps and Coast Guard; Pallas Aviation), Australia, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Canada, India, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Tunisia, Israel, Kuwait, South Korea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Germany.
• Also contributing to these flight hours is the Lockheed Martin Flight Operations team, whose crews are the first to fly every C-130J produced, and the USAF Defence Contract Management Agency crews that support C-130J test flights at Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics site in Marietta, Georgia, home of Super Hercules production line.
• Super Hercules variants used to log these hours include C-130J and C-130J-30 (tactical airlifter), KC-130J (tanker), WC-130J (weather reconnaissance), EC-130J (information operations), MC-130J (Special Operations), HC-130J (search and rescue, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard variants), AC-130J (gunship) and LM-100J (commercial freighter).
• Hours flown include test, training and operational missions on all seven continents.

The Super Hercules offer a multitude of advantages found in no other medium-sized tactical airlifter in production or operation today. These discriminators include proven operational readiness with the greatest ease of transition, increased reliability, superior tactical airlift and combat airdrop capabilities, certification by more than 20 airworthiness authorities, and engine-out performance with extended range. The C-130J also delivers unmatched interoperability with NATO and global air forces, robust industrial partnerships and verified low life-cycle costs with significant fuel savings resulting in a reduced carbon footprint compared to other medium-sized jet airlifters.

IAI Unveils Air-To-Surface Cruise Missile Wind Demon

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled the Wind Demon, a new generation of air-to-surface cruise missile, combining new capabilities based on ye