Every American sees video images of the President waving to the press and others as he boards Marine One at the White House, on his way to Camp David or elsewhere. The helicopters labelled Marine One are actually made by United Technologies’ Sikorsky unit and now they will have India inside.
The cabins of the new set of Marine One helicopters, for the US President’s exclusive use, will be made in India by Tata Advanced Systems, the sole global supplier of these airframes for the S-92 choppers, built by American aerospace firm Sikorsky Aircraft. While these choppers are for the USA, firms like Sikorsky are eying the Indian market for helicopters, estimated, over the next 25 years, at $24 billion. India is not a new sourcing destination for Sikorsky but while it is looking to set up base here, that could be some time away.
Sikorsky won a $1.24- billion contract in May to build and deliver six new US presidential helicopters, a first step towards a new fleet of 21 choppers to be delivered by 2023. According to India’s Financial Express, not just the cabins but also the various parts that go into building the airframes for the S-92 will be sourced from India through a company called Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Systems, a joint venture between the Tata Group and Sikorsky in which the latter holds 26%, Walia, regional executive for India and South Asia at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, said. Both the facilities are located in Hyderabad.
