Adani Signs MoU With Italian Leonardo To Bid For Indian Military Helicopter Tenders

Multi-sector major Adani, on Tuesday (February 3, 2026) announced an alliance with Italian aerospace and defence major Leonardo to bid for the Indian military tenders to meet the requirement for about 270 utility helicopters and to build a massive chopper manufacturing ecosystem in India.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the two companies in New Delhi, with India’s Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, and Director General Acquisition and Ministry of Defence Additional Secretary A. Anbarasu, apart from the top leadership of Adani Defence and Aerospace and Leonardo Helicopters, present.

“This landmark partnership will establish a fully integrated helicopter manufacturing ecosystem in India, addressing surging military demands and propelling the nation toward self-reliance in helicopter production,” Adani Defence and Aerospace said on the occasion.

The two companies combined have come together targeting the Indian army, Air force, and Navy’s immediate requirement for utility helicopters to replace their ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters.

Jointly, the two companies would offer Leonardo’s advanced AW169M and AW109 TrekkerM helicopters to meet the needs of the Indian Army-Air Force and the Navy, respectively, according to the announcement made at the media event.

“The collaboration will deliver phased indigenisation, robust maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities, and comprehensive pilot training,” Adani said, hinting at covering almost all aspects of the helicopter ecosystem within India.

The two companies would fuse Leonardo’s helicopter design and engineering prowess with Adani Defence’s end-to-end defence and aerospace expertise.

“The initiative advances the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) vision, strengthens national defence readiness, with the potential to be extended to civil aviation applications and international supply chain integration,” the Indian company said.

“This ecosystem promises transformative economic impact: thousands of high-skill jobs in engineering, manufacturing, logistics, and sustainment services, while cementing India as a competitive hub for helicopter production.”

The two companies have projected a 7.8% rate of growth in the Indian helicopter market, taking the 2024 market size of $1.58 billion to $2.88 billion by 2032.

The global helicopter market, which stood at $34 billion in 2024, would grow to $97 billion during the same period, with a CAGR of 3.4 %, in the decade ending 2032, the companies predicted.

“This alliance with Leonardo is a pivotal stride toward a resilient, future-proof helicopter ecosystem in India, Adani Defence and Aerospace director Jeet Adani said.

“Merging global excellence with our industrial momentum, we will drive enduring value, high-skill employment, and alignment with Aatmanirbhar Bharat to position India as a global aerospace powerhouse,” he added.

“With the Indian armed forces projecting demand for over 1,000 helicopters in the coming decade, this partnership realises our vision for sovereign manufacturing,” Adani Defence and Aerospace chief executive officer Ashish Rajvanshi said.

“It will accelerate indigenization, strengthen supply chains, and establish India as a world-class production base,” he noted.

“We’re extremely pleased to join forces with Adani to provide our contribution to India’s vision for an even stronger and growing role of their rotorcraft industry, and to enable the country to access the level of modern technology and operational capability it deserves,” Leonardo Helicopters managing director Gian Piero Cutillo said.

“We look forward to making progress in this endeavour, leveraging our complementary expertise to deliver the best solutions,” he added.

Rajvanshi, in a presentation, projected the immediate need of the Indian armed forces to be 300-plus in the case of Light Utility Helicopters and Medium Lift Helicopters each, 100-plus intermediate helicopters, and 90-plus for Maritime Multi-Role Helicopters.

The tie-up, though not entirely dependent on the two companies winning the military tenders in India, would be a long-term investment for building capabilities within the country to meet the goal of self-reliance, he said.

The Defence Secretary, acknowledging that India would not be 100% self-dependent on military hardware as no country could think of doing so, said the nation should rather aim to be self-reliant to the maximum extent possible.

The Adani and Leonardo combine aspired to set up an ecosystem that looks at the world as its market, allow for technology transfer from Italy to India, build on high-value jobs and skills development, and help India reduce dependence on imports.

However, the investments required and the business plan for the helicopter production in India would mature in the next few months, Jeet Adani said, in reply to questions from the media.

The two companies are also yet to decide on the location of their manufacturing plant, and the investment size and scope, which too would take some more time to be finalised.

Jeet Adani said the MSMEs would be an important partner in his company’s bid to succeed, and cited the company’s experience in working with the micro, small and medium enterprises in the drone manufacturing effort as a successful model for the helicopter venture too.

Adani and Leonardo would establish a final assembly line, testing facility, and a delivery supply chain in their helicopter venture, while also exploring the civil aviation market, apart from maximising localisation, as per the requirements that the Defence Acquisition Procedure, expected by end of March 2025, would prescribe.

This strategic partnership is expected to redefine India’s aerospace landscape, strengthening defence autonomy and position the country as a trusted global hub for helicopter manufacturing and sustainment.