Apache Helicopter Fuselage
Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited (TBAL) has delivered the first fuselage for six AH-64 Apache attack helicopters ordered by the Indian Army from its state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad.
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Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) AND Boeing Joint Venture
- Spread over 14,000 square meters, the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility has been producing aero-structures for Boeing’s AH-64 Apache helicopter, including fuselages, secondary structures and vertical spar boxes for customers worldwide. TBAL is an example of Boeing’s commitment towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat and the co-development of integrated systems in aerospace and defence not just for India, but for the world.
- After the foundation of the facility was laid in 2016, TBAL delivered the first Apache fuselages in 2018. In July 2021, TBAL delivered the 100th fuselage for the AH-64 Apache combat helicopter to Boeing. Achieving this within three years of operations speaks volumes of the collaboration, strong manufacturing capability, advanced technology, and high levels of quality. TBAL, as of today, has delivered over 150 AH-64 fuselages.
- TBAL, Boeing’s first equity joint venture in India, is the result of a 2015 partnership agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL). Recently, Boeing announced the addition of a new production line to manufacture complex vertical fin structures for the 737 family of airplanes.
- TBAL has produced and supplied 190 Apache fuselages to Boeing’s Apache final assembly plant in Mesa, Arizona. More than 90 per cent of the parts used in these aero-structure assemblies are manufactured in India through over a hundred micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supporting the government’s Make in India vision.
About Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft’s forward fuselage, and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has significant systems redundancy to improve combat survivability.
With more than 1,275 AH-64 Apaches in operation accumulating over 4.9 million flight hours globally, 1.3 million of which have been in combat, the attack helicopter holds the reputation of being the world’s most advanced and proven attack helicopter.
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