Ye dil maange more! Choppers from BEML by 2017? Yes, says Natarajan

Scheme of things to come. Image for graphic representation only.

| By Anantha Krishnan M. | AVIATION WEEK |

Palakkad |  India | December 9, 2010 |

The monopoly of Indian military aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) may be seriously challenged as Bengaluru-based DPSU Bharat Earth Movers Ltd. (BEML) reveals plans to begin assembling helicopters and fixed-wing platforms. “When you are already in [the] aerospace business, you can’t keep aircraft manufacturing out of your radar,” BEML Chairman and Managing Director V.R.S. Natarajan said during Aviation Week’s visit to its Palakkad facility. “It’s not immediate, but we are heading in that direction. Plans are afoot and maybe by [the] 2015-17 period, we would have already begun the work.”

The company is working alongside HAL on several projects, providing landing gear for the Dhruv, Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, Natarajan says. BEML, like HAL, is an Indian Defense Public Sector Undertaking. BEML announced early in 2010 the establishment of an Aerospace Manufacturing Division (AMD) to produce ground-handling equipment, tooling and components. The AMD has begun its operations in Mysore, and now BEML is hoping to shift all operations to Devanahalli, near Bengaluru. An agreement with the Karnataka government is already in place to set up an aerospace complex at the special economic zone (SEZ) in Devanahalli.

(This is a backlog update from Aviation Week to Tarmak007)

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