Boeing Partners with Tata Group to Produce Apache Fuselages

Tata Advanced Systems and Boeing on Monday announced a joint venture (JV) that will manufacture aerostructures for aircraft and collaborate on integrated systems development opportunities in India.

The development comes on the close heels of India finalising the order to purchase 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and 15 CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters from the American aviation behemoth.

Boeing as a mark of its commitment to the Indian market has doubled its sourcing from India in the last one year and this JV is a clear example of Boeing’s long-term plans, according to Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India.

Sukaran Singh, MD & CEO, TAS, exuded confidence that his company’s current level of scale and expertise makes it well-positioned for large-scale systems integration work in India’s aerospace and defense sector.

This is not the first time that Boeing and Tata group companies are coming together.

Tata Advanced Materials Ltd has delivered composite panels for power and mission equipment cabinets and auxiliary power unit door fairings for the P-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. These are: Tata Power Strategic Electronics Division, Tata Advanced Systems, TAL Manufacturing Solutions, Tata Technologies, Tata Motors, Tata Advanced Materials, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Steel United Kingdom, Tata Elxsi, Titan Company (Precision Engineering Division), Avana Integrated Systems, Nova Integrated Systems, CMC and Tata Industrial Services.

The JV will set up a facility to produce aerostructures for AH-64 Apache helicopter.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” programme and the government’s initiatives to further open up the defence manufacturing sector to foreign players, a number of global defence and aerospace manufacturing firms are looking at India and exploring joint ventures with local companies.