Boeing and Tata partner to help aerospace industry ‘Make in India’

Posted on 20 Sep 2015 by Aiden Burgess
Dennis Swanson, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India; Shelley Lavender, president, Boeing Military Aircraft; Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer, Tata Advanced Systems, and Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, at the signing ceremony in Hyderabad on July 15

Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) have signed a framework agreement to collaborate in aerospace and defence manufacturing which is set to be a boost for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Dennis Swanson, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India; Shelley Lavender, president, Boeing Military Aircraft; Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer, Tata Advanced Systems, and Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, at the signing ceremony in Hyderabad on July 15
Dennis Swanson, vice president, Boeing Defense, Space and Security, India; Shelley Lavender, president, Boeing Military Aircraft; Sukaran Singh, managing director and chief executive officer, Tata Advanced Systems, and Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India, at the signing ceremony in Hyderabad on July 15 – image courtesy of Tata.

The agreement between Boeing and Tata will also see collaboration between the two companies on potential integrated systems development opportunities including unmanned aerial vehicles.

The agreement was signed by Boeing Military Aircraft president, Shelley Lavender, and Tata Advanced Systems managing director and chief executive officer Sukaran Singh. The Boeing  president said the agreement reflected the companies’ growing presence in India.

“This agreement with TASL is significant because it demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to expanding its aerospace manufacturing footprint in India,” she said.

Chairman of TASL, S.Ramadorai, said the agreement with Boeing would help to explore the massive potential of India’s aerospace manufacturing industry.

“This framework agreement is the result of the world-class competencies of TASL as well as the vendor eco-system it has helped establish in India,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to explore the massive potential in India for aerospace manufacturing and make the investments required to grow the industry,

“Boeing’s platforms require complex manufacturing processes within a competitive cost structure and we are confident that the partnership will be able to deliver high quality aerostructures out of India.”

The framework agreement between Boeing and TASL is the latest deal between the two companies, with TASL already contracted to manufacture aerostructures for Boeing’s CH-47 Chinook and AH-6i helicopters.

Other TATA group companies such as Tata Advanced Materials (TAML) and TAL Manufacturing Solutions (TAL) are also supplying important components to Boeing.

TAML has delivered power and mission equipment cabinets and auxiliary power unit door fairings for the P-8I long range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, while TAL is manufacturing complex floor beams out of composite materials for the Boeing 787-9.

Click to view the infographic on TASL’s defence and aerospace solutions.