TLMAL delivers 150th C-130J Super Hercules empennage from its Hyderabad facility

Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) on Wednesday said it has recently delivered the 150th C-130J Super Hercules empennage from its manufacturing facility here. The milestone highlights the ongoing success of Lockheed Martin’s hallmark 'Make in India' partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL), a release said here.

TLMAL, a joint venture between TASL and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, was established in 2010 in alignment with the Indian Air Force's acquisition of its first six C-130J 30 Super Hercules airlifters.

''TLMAL exemplifies the 'Make in India' goals and has the distinction of being the single global source of C-130J empennage assemblies that are installed on all new Super Hercules aircraft produced in Marietta, Georgia, in the United States,'' it said.

Empennage assemblies produced by TLMAL include the aircraft's horizontal and vertical stabilizers along with leading edges and tip assemblies. The TLMAL team also previously manufactured sets of C-130J center 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, TLMAL increased the indigenisation of C-130 manufacturing by transitioning the production of approximately 2,200 (of 2,500 plus) previously imported empennage components to Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Limited (TSAL), Lockheed Martin’s second joint venture with TASL. 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 per cent to up to more than 95 per cent by Q1 2022, the release 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,'' said Sukaran Singh, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tata Advanced Systems Limited TLMAL empennages are included in C-130Js that support critical worldwide search and rescue, peacekeeping, combat delivery, maritime patrol, special operations, aerial refueling, medevac and humanitarian response missions. TLMAL empennages are also included in the LM-100J ─ the commercial variant of the Super Hercules, it said.

''While C-130Js are flown by a multitude of operators around the world, each empennage is a product of India and reflects the 'Make in India' initiative. Our team has accomplished so much with these first 150 empennages and is ready to achieve even more with the next 150 empennages,'' said Kiran Dambala, Chief Operating Officer at TLMAL.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)