Tata Boeing Aerospace begins delivery of AH-64 Apache chopper fuselage

Tata Boeing Aerospace Ltd. has begun delivery of AH-64 Apache combat helicopter fuselage from its manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.

Announcing that the delivery was made ahead of schedule, the company said that it had come within a year of the aerospace joint venture facility becoming operational. The fuselage is now to be transported to Boeing’s AH-64 Apache manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, for integration into the final assembly line.

Union Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman had inaugurated the facility, located in Adibatla, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, in March this year. It is spread over 14,000 square meters, and, at full production, employs 350 skilled worker.

The facility is the sole global producer of fuselages for AH-64 Apache helicopter delivered by Boeing to its global customers, including the U.S. Army. The facility would also produce secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for the multi-role combat helicopter.

Describing the delivery as “a major step forward in Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems’ commitment to make advanced, high quality aero structures,” Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said that co-development of integrated systems in aerospace and defence was one of the future opportunities that the joint venture would look at.

“The delivery of the fuselage within a year of the facility becoming operational is a big boost to indigenous manufacturing and also demonstrates our commitment to deliver high quality products within a short span of time,” said Sukaran Singh, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Advanced Systems,

Tata Boeing Aerospace is Boeing’s first equity joint venture in India and stems from a 2015 partnership agreement with TASL. Construction of the manufacturing facility began in 2016 and was completed a year later. Boeing and TASL have worked closely to develop a pool of highly skilled aerospace talent through skill development initiatives.

According to the company, more than 2,300 Boeing-made Apache helicopters are in operations globally. The helicopter has been fielded or selected for acquisition by the armed forces of 16 countries, including India. The U.S. Army Apache fleet alone has accumulated more than 4.3 million flight hours, including more than 1.2 million in combat, as of January 2018.