HYDERABAD: Telangana may soon come up with a drone testing corridor, said IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday. Announcing this at the delivery of 150th C-130J Super Hercules empennage by Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL), the Minister said the aerospace and defence sector in Telangana has been witnessing steady and unprecedented growth in the last five years. “Telangana is emerging as an aero-engine cluster, with numerous foreign and domestic industry majors operating their units in Hyderabad,” he added.
TLMAL recently delivered the 150th C-130J Super Hercules empennage from its manufacturing facility located in Adibatla, Hyderabad. The delivery milestone highlights the ongoing success of Lockheed Martin’s hallmark ‘Make in India’ partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL).
TLMAL has previously manufactured sets of C-130J centre wing box components and introduced a cutting-edge 4,700 square-metre metal-to-metal bonding facility in May 2018. TLMAL currently employs close to 700 people. In April 2018, it increased the indigenisation of C-130 manufacturing by transitioning the production of approximately 2,200 previously imported empennage components to TSAL, Lockheed Martin’s second joint venture.
These components were previously manufactured by suppliers located outside of India. Currently, every empennage that is delivered around the world is built in Hyderabad and its components will be further indigenised from 85% to up to more than 95% by Q1 2022.
Sukaran Singh, CEO, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, said, “The manufacturing and operational excellence achieved by the team through this decade-long partnership, has led India to become the only supplier of C-130J Super Hercules empennage, globally.” TLMAL empennages are included in C-130Js that support critical search and rescue, peacekeeping, combat delivery, maritime patrol, aerial refuelling missions.
