In a major milestone for India's push towards self-reliance in the defense sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the HAL Helicopter Factory in Tumakuru. The factory was originally established after the Prime Minister laid its foundation stone in 2016. The new greenfield helicopter factory, which is Asia's largest, will significantly boost India's capacity to manufacture helicopters and improve the local ecosystem. The factory will initially produce Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), which are indigenously designed and developed single-engine, multi-purpose utility helicopters with the unique advantage of high maneuverability. With the opening of this facility, India is now able to meet its entire requirement for helicopters domestically and has achieved self-reliance in the design, development, and manufacturing of helicopters. The factory adheres to Industry 4.0 standards, and over the next two decades, HAL plans to produce over 1000 helicopters weighing between 3 and 15 tonnes from the Tumakuru facility. This will provide employment opportunities for around 6000 people in
