TASL entered into a joint venture withSikorsky Aircraft Corporation to manufacture theSikorsky S-92helicopter in India for the domestic civil and military markets. The plan was to have a US$200 million manufacturing plant operational inHyderabad by 2010.[5][6] As production began, the first S-92 cabin was delivered in November 2010,[7] and capacity was expected to increase to 36–48 cabins a year.[8] By the end of July 2013, 39 cabins had been assembled.
The joint venture with Sikorsky has since been expanded to include the development of aerospace components for otheroriginal equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This facility, called Tara, also located in Hyderabad, was completed in 2011 and commenced production in 2012.[9] Another TASL joint-venture, withLockheed Martin, is producing aero structures for theLockheed C-130 Hercules and theLockheed C-130J Super Hercules in India. It is a 74:26 joint venture which currently assembles Hercules centre wing boxes andempennages.[10] TASL will also establish a MRO facility in India of the C-130J.[11] TASL's joint venture with Lockheed Martin is named Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures.[12]
In partnership withAirbus Defence and Space, the company fielded theEADS CASA C-295 medium–lift tactical transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force's light-cargo fleet renewal program, which the Indian government approved on 13 May 2015. Under the agreement, Tata Advanced Systems has been selected as the Indian Production Agency (IPA) by Airbus DS.[13] Under the project 16 complete aircraft will be imported, while 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India.[14]The Final Assembly Line (FAL) complex was inaugurated in October 2024. The first ‘Make in India’ C295 will roll out of the Vadodara FAL in September 2026.[15][16]
The company has also entered an agreement to produce structures for thePilatus PC-12NG from 2016 to 2026.[17]
The aerospace and military division ofTata Motors was sold to Tata Advanced Systems on May 3, 2018.[18] Lockheed Martin declared in September 2018 that, in partnership with TASL, it would manufacture wings for theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.[19] Inaugurated in 2018, theHyderabad facility of Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL), a joint venture betweenBoeing and Tata Advanced Systems, will serve as the exclusive global manufacturer of fuselages forAH-64 Apache helicopters supplied by Boeing to its clientele worldwide.[20][21] On 10th February 2025, TBAL delivered the 300th fuselage for the AH-64 Apache from its facility inHyderabad.[22]
In early 2021, it was reported that Tata Advanced Systems of India had likely bought the intellectual property rights of theGrob G180 SPn aircraft for the development of a military variant to be offered to the Indian army as a signals intelligence gathering and surveillance platform.[25] In February 2021,Lockheed Martin announced that they are teaming with Tata Advanced Systems for meeting the Indian Navy's proposed requirement for Naval Utility Helicopter (NUH).[26] In September 2021 India has signed deal of buying C-295 Cargo aircraft and that will be made by Tata Advanced System.[27] In 2022, TASL and GE Aerospace extended their long-term contract for the production and supply of various commercial aircraft engine components, which are to be manufactured at the Tata Centre of Excellence for Aero Engines.[23]
On 29 March 2023, TASL was awarded a contract fromAirbus to supply cargo and bulk cargo doors for theA320neo family. They will be manufactured at a new facility in Hyderabad which will deploy advanced robotics and automation for the task. Each shipset would include two cargo doors and one bulk cargo door.[28]
In 2024, Tata Advanced Systems announced that the company and Lockheed Martin are looking at further opportunities in India. This includes establishing amaintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in India to support the IAF's fleet of 12 C-130Js and other global Super Hercules fleets.[29] It also includes expanding the C-130J manufacturing and assembly in India to produce aircraft for the IAF’s Medium Transport Aircraft program, which subject to U.S. government and Indian government approvals.[29]
Following an armored vehicle contract from theRoyal Moroccan Armed Forces in 2024, Tata Advanced Systems will establish a plant inCasablanca. The firstWhAPs are expected to be rolled out in 18 months, with the intention of catering to the broaderAfrican market. The production facility, which will be operational within a year, will be able to produce 100 combat vehicles yearly.[30] In December 2024, TASL doubled the company's landholding inNagpur’s MIHAN SEZ to 60 acres for expanding its aerospace manufacturing operations. TASL's existing Nagpur facility manufactures aircraft floor beams for both Boeing and Airbus at the same facility.[31]
In April 2025, the company acquired land in Karnataka's Vemgal Industrial Area for setting up a final assembly line for aircraft manufacturing and MRO.[32] Four production transfer agreements were signed on 5 June 2025, betweenDassault Aviation and Tata Advanced Systems to manufacture theRafale fighter aircraft fuselage in Hyderabad. This includes the front section, the central fuselage, the rear fuselage, and the lateral shells of the rear fuselage for India and other international markets.[33]
Design, development and production of the Portable Diver Detection Sonar.
Production and maintenance for thePDV Mk-II launcher.
Development of the Advanced Loitering System-250 (ALS-250), akamikaze drone with a range of 250 km with high payload capacity for munitions likeanti-tank warhead.[35]
TASL is bidding to develop and buildunmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for theIndian Armed Forces for surveillance.[37] It has agreements withIsrael Aerospace Industries (IAI) and "Urban Aeronautics" for cooperation and co-development of UAVs in India.[38][39] It has developed and successfully flight tested a long-range kamikaze drone known as ALS-50 which can strike beyond ranges of 50 km and turn back in case of an abandoned mission and will soon be in use by the Indian armed forces.[40]
TASL developed Rajak-XLR an enhanced variant of Rajak-ULR for theRegiment of Artillery. It consists of a long-range continuous zoom-type thermal camera, a long-range continuous zoom-type day camera, and a laser rangefinder for analyzing the distance of the target. The system can detect vehicles within a range of 50 km including the type and humans within 40 km.[41]
TASL licence-manufacturesLanza-NL-band air surveillance radars for the frontline warships of theIndian Navy. The radar was designed & developed byIndra Sistemas. In 2019, the Indian Navy ordered 23 such radars from the Tata Advanced Systems at a cost of₹12billion (US$170.41 million). The delivery was to be completed by 2029. The first 3 units were to be directly delivered by Indra while the rest of 20 units will be manufactured in India. By March 2023, the first radar was delivered to the Navy and two units were under production. In July 2024, it was reported thatINS Mysore (D60) has been retrofitted with the radar.[42][43]
The first Made in India Lanza-N radar was built, delivered and commissioned into an Indian Navy warship on 10 September 2025. The radar was accepted and inducted after rigorous sea trials where the performance was tested against multiple naval and aerial targets with varyingradar cross sections. The radar will be integrated with other Indian Navy frigates, destroyers and aircraft carriers following this. The Indian variant would be modified for optimised to operate in very humid and hot conditions of the Indian Ocean. TASL is the first Indian company to produce a 3D Air Surveillance Radar (3D-ASR). TASL operates a radar assembly, integration and test facility inKarnataka. Lanza-N is an air defence and anti-missile radar.[44][45][46]
TASL builtTSAT-1A at the Vemagal facility inKarnataka in collaboration withSatellogic. It is the first private-sector-owned sub-metre resolution earth observation satellite in India. the satellite was launched aboardSpaceX'sFalcon 9Bandwagon-1 mission on 7th April 2024 at 23:16 GMT.[47] TASL signed a deal with Satellogic, a US-based LEO satellite manufacturer, to build a production facility in India for LEO satellites.[48]
In February 2007, the thenUnited Technologies Corporation's subsidiary, Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and India's Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) signed aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create opportunities for aerospace operations in India.[49] On June 12, 2009, Sikorsky signed an agreement with TASL for manufacturing helicopter cabins of S-92(R) inIndia for export and domestic markets. The first cabin would be delivered in late 2010 from a new greenfield manufacturing facility nearHyderabad, the then capital ofAndhra Pradesh.[50][51][52] On November 12, the companies signed another agreement to form ajoint venture (which led to the formation Tata–Sikorsky Aerospace Limited)[53] to manufacture aerospace components in India. The venture would be open to manufacture components for otherOEMs in the aerospace sector as well. The joint venture's operations would be based in a second greenfield facility beside the cabin manufacturing building. The construction of the second facility, initially meant for production of over 5,000 "detailed aerospace components",[54] is scheduled for completion by 2011 with production commencing from 2012.[49][55]
The first consignment of S-92 cabins was delivered in November 2010. The facility is located in theSpecial Economic Zone (SEZ) inAdibatla.[56] As of April 2012, Sikorsky planned to double the manufacturing capacity of helicopter cabins in the Hyderabad facility. The enhanced capacity would be enhanced in a phased manner with two cabins per month in June 2012 and then to 3 cabins per month or 36 units annually in December 2013. The workforce would be increased to match the planned capacity.[57][58] As of May 2015, the joint venture was also producing 4,000 components besides the cabins which is expected to achieve an indigenous content of 80% by 2013. There were also plans to establish a helicopter manufacturing facility with a capacity of 2–3 S-92 helicopters monthly after 2015–16 in addition to other manufacturing facilities in China, Holland, Turkey and Columbia and other South American countries.[59] On October 24, 2013, the joint venture delivered the first fully indigenous S-92 cabin which would be then shipped to the US for final assembly and delivery. Meanwhile, the company delivered the 50th cabin earlier that month. Its production capacity had been increased to four cabins per month in the first facility along with 5,000 different components in the second facility.[54][60]
In July 2010, the thenForeign Investment Promotion Board under theGovernment of India cleared the proposal of Tata Group’swholly-owned subsidiary,Tata Advanced Systems (TASL), to form a joint venture withLockheed Martin’s wholly owned subsidiary, Lockheed Martin Aeroframe Corporation (LMAC). Thejoint venture (JV) company will beTata–Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL)[61] where TASL and LMAC will initially hold a stake of 74% and 26%, respectively. To develop the infrastructures necessary for the JV’s operation, TASL and LMAC will invest₹42.82 crore (equivalent to₹96 crore or US$11 million in 2023) and₹121.27 crore (equivalent to₹272 crore or US$32 million in 2023). As stated by TASL, the joint venture would have an export potential of₹920crore (US$201.2 million).[62][63][64] The joint venture was as a part of offset obligation to theIndian Air Force’s deal to purchase 6 C-130J-30tactical airlifter.
By late 2011, the joint venture started the production of airframe components for Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The components were then shipped to Lockheed’s C-130 final assembly line facility Marietta, Georgia for integration and delivery.[63][64]
As of March 2014, Lockheed Martin was looking to establish an engine MRO facility in India to support the country’s and South Asia’s aviation market. This would be the company’s third engine MRO facility beside its existing facilities in the USA and Canada. A feasibility study for the purpose was underway within the company and the firm is expected to confirm its decision within the year-end. As of then, the company was yet to decide on the facility’s initial maintenance capacity, rate, its location — Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai — and to whether develop the facility from scratch or undertake a joint development with an existing entity. Meanwhile, the company already has its presence in Adibatla SEZ near Hyderabad, operating as TMLAL, in order to manufacture aerostructures like centre wing boxes andempennages for defence aircraft.[65]
On 16 September 2016, TLMAL delivered the 50th empennage assembly — including horizontal and vertical stabilizers along with leading edges and tip assemblies[66] — and also completed manufacturing of 28 sets of centre wing box components — including front and rear beam assemblies, formers and trailing edge sections — for C-130J on or ahead of schedule. The company also established itself as the sole global supplier of both the components for the aircraft.[63][64][67][68]
On 18 April 2018, TMLAL inducted India’s first-of-its-kind metal-to-metal-bonding facility besides the existing infrastructure. The new facility spreads over an area of 4,700 m2 (1.2 acres) and employs a skilled workforce with a strength of over 80. Additionally, TLMAL also undertook an initiative to increase the indigenisation of the empennage assemblies by transferring the production responsibilities of 2,000 empennage parts from foreign entities toTata–Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (TSAL), another Tata-Lockheed Martin joint venture. Overall, the joint venture employs 500 people and has an annual capacity of 24 C-130J empennages. As of then, 85 empennages built by TLMAL have been installed on C-130J aircraft delivered by Lockheed Martin to customers around the world, including the Indian Air Force.[69][70][66]
TLMAL delivered the 100th, 150th and 200th empennage to Lockheed Martin on 20 February 2019,[66] 20 October 2021[71] and 9 August 2023.[72][73]
On 24 August 2021, Lockheed Martin was awarded a Follow On Support II (FOS) contract worth $328.8 million from the Indian Air Force for its 12-aircraft C-130J-30 fleet for five years. For the entire duration of the contract, eight personnel from Lockheed Martin,General Electric (propeller manufacturer) andRolls-Royce to support on-site technical maintenance of the fleet. Additionally, under the FOS II contract, five C-130J Hercules aircraft will undergo 12-year depot-level servicing at a Lockheed Martin-approved Heavy Maintenance Center (HMC), starting in 2022.[74][75]
On 10 September 2024, Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems have signed a teaming agreement to strengthen and expand their collaboration on the C-130J Super Hercules programme. The expansion includes the establishment of aMaintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility to support the C-130J fleet of theIndian Air Force and other global users as well as, beyond manufacturing and assembling components, producing the entire aircraft in India to support Lockheed Martin’s campaign for the Indian Air Force’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA). The final assembly line would be set up in India only if Lockheed Martin gets the MTA contract and would add to the already-operational final assembly line in Marietta, Georgia, USA. Meanwhile, TLMAL also delivered over 220 empennages for C-130J.[76][77][78][79]
Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) and Lockheed Martin signed an agreement to produce F-16 wings in India on 4 September 2018.[80] As of September 2019, the prototype wing from the Indian facility would be delivered by 2020.[81] The wing prototype made in theHyderabad facility of Tata–Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) was delivered and certified in December 2021, paving way for the facility to be the sole provider of F-16 wings to Lockheed Martin. The wings were described as "a fuel-carrying 9-g, 12,000-hour, interchangeable and replaceable fighter wing".[82][83] It is the same facility which is also the sole provider ofempennages ofC-130J at a rate of 24 units per year and produced 85 units by April 2018.[84]
USAF F-16 Block 50 on ground taxiing to the runway for take-off at Aero India 2011, Yelahanka Air force Base Bangalore.As of 2017, Lockheed Martin has agreed to sign aletter of intent with the Indian defence firm Tata Advanced Systems Limited to manufacture the jets in India if the Indian government accepts their tender for India's request for a purchase of single-engine aircraft to replace its aging MiG-series fighters. The new production line can be utilized to supply jets to India as well as for exporting them overseas.[85][86] On 19 June 2017, during theParis Air Show, Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Lockheed Martin signed an agreement to produce F-16 Block 70 aircraft in India under the latter's offer to provide the jet to the Indian Air Force under MMRCA.[87]
Lockheed Martin unveiled the F-21 concept at theAero India air show on 20 February 2019. The F-21 would include 114 "Indian Specific Enhancements". Lockheed Martin had offered the F-16IN variant earlier in the MMRCA tender and has replaced the offer with the current F-21 which is to be built in collaboration with Tata Advanced Systems in the available Hyderabad facility.[88][89][90]
In August 2007, TAL Manufacturing Solutions Limited (TALMSL), then a wholly-owned subsidiary ofTata Motors, planned to acquire a land in aSpecial Economic Zone (SEZ) inNagpur. The firm would set up a component manufacturing plant there and would probably aim at the aerospace sector.[91] By February 2008, the company was setting up a manufacturing facility atMIHAN. TALMSL also announced that they will be a part ofBoeing 787 Dreamliner'ssupply chain and will manufacture floor beams for the aircraft in its upcoming facility usingstate-of-the-art technology of advanced titanium and composite materials.[92] The first deliveries were expected in early 2009.[93] While Boeing awarded the maiden contract for Advanced Composite Floor Beam (ACFB) to TALMSL in 2011, the first batch was delivered in 2014.[94] In September 2012, TALMSL was planning abrownfield expansion worth₹250crore (US$46.78 million) over an area of 190 acres (0.77 km2) in addition to its existing facility in MIHAN. This facility was expected to be ready by 2017.[95] On 27 August 2019, Boeing marked the delivery of 25,000th ACFB from TALMSL, now a TASL subsidiary.[94]
On 9 November 2015, Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) announced ajoint venture to co-produce thefuselage of AH-64 in India for the global market. This was after the Indian Air Force ordered the helicopters.[96] On 18 June 2016, the companies laid the foundation of the facility in the outskirts ofHyderabad. The joint venture was named Tata–Boeing Aerospace (TBAL).[97] In March 2018, the facility was inaugurated byNirmala Sitharaman, the thenIndian Defence Minister. On 1 June 2018, TBAL delivered the first Made-in-India fuselage to Boeing ahead of schedule. The fuselage would be then transported Boeing's AH-64 Apache manufacturing facility inMesa, Arizona for final assembly. The facility will also deliver secondary structure and vertical spar boxes for the combat helicopter.[98] On 23 July 2021, TBAL delivered the 100th Indian-made fuselage. By then, the facility also started delivering secondary structure and vertical spar boxes to Boeing.[99] On 19 January 2023, TBAL delivered the first fuselage for theIndian Army's 6-chopper contract. Overall, over 190 fuselages were supplied by TBAL. The facility also became the sole manufacturer of Apache fuselage globally, in addition to supplying parts forBoeing 737,777 and787 aircraft.[100] On 10 February 2025, TBAL delivered the 300th fuselage.[101][102]
As of 2018, the facility spans over an area of 14,000 m2 (3.5 acres) and is staffed by 350 workers at full production.[98][99] The workforce, by 2023, grew to 900.[100] As for the fuselages delivered, 90% of the components are being manufactured in India through more than 100MSME suppliers.[100][101]
In 2021, India's Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) joined the 737'ssupply chain by opening a new production line parallel to the existing production line to produce thefuselage ofBoeing AH-64 Apache.[103][104] On 6 August 2021, TASL announced that they were awarded the contract to supply 737'sfan cowls to Boeing and is slated to cater to 50% of the 737 fan cowl requirement to the later from FY2025.[105][106] On 14 February 2023, Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) shipped the firstvertical fin structure for the Boeing 737 aircraft. The structures would be delivered toBoeing Renton Factory.[107][108]
A French Navy Rafale M landing aboardUSS George H.W. BushIn March 2025, Dassault Aviation announced an increase in production in anticipation of more orders from France and other countries. The company's chief executive, Eric Trappier, said they plan to deliver three aircraft per month in 2025, increasing to four per month from 2028 to 2029.[109]
₹5,176 crore (US$610 million) (FY24)[3]
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