In one of the best achievements of Make in India effort, emerging aircraft manufacturing firm, Mahindra Aerospace has won a deal to supply components to European aircraft manufacturer –Airbus. The deal was signed between the Airbus’s German affiliate- Premium AEROTEC and Bangalore based Mahindra Aerospace.
The deal is a vote of confidence in India’s high tech component manufacturing industry which is expecting sourcing contracts from big producers of high tech products. It also announces India’s participation in the global aerospace industry at the same time opens the window of opportunities for India’s energetic aerospace and defense eco-system.
Airbus is the consortium of European countries and is pitted in strong competition with US’s Boeing in the passenger aircraft segment.
The exact value of the multi-million supply contract is not revealed. Mahindra aerospace, established in 2008, is one of the new generation high tech firms in the country aspiring business opportunities in aerospace and defence manufacturing.
In this context, the deal is a big win for the country’s Make in India especially, given the technological requirements of the aerospace sourcing sector. During the announcement of the contract, at the 2015 Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, senior representatives of the Airbus and Mahindra groups elaborated that the contract will support the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
For Mahindra, the contract is a boost as it is awaiting the finalization of the Rafale deal by the government. Dassault, the maker of Rafale prefers technology embracing private sector players to partner with the nearly $36 bn deal.
India has a competitive auto component sector and is a major destination for auto component outsourcing. Many firms in the sector like Bharat Forge are constructing defence equipment platforms to utilize the potentials of the high tech and defence sectors.
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