GE Aviation to make aeroframes with Mahindra Aerospace in India

GE Aviation would collaborate with Mahindra Aerospace to manufacture aerostructures for Airbus group at this tech hub, the global aerospace firm said on Wednesday.

"We will collaborate with Mahindra Aerospace to produce small, metallic complex structural sheet details and assemblies at its facility near Bengaluru," GE Aviation's executive Stefanie Darlington said in a statement from Paris.

Both the aerospace firms signed an agreement at Le Bourget on the margins of the Paris Air Show to scale their partnership in manufacturing airframes, components and sub-systems.

Mahindra Aerospace, a subsidiary of the $16.9-billion Mahindra group, has an aerostructures plant at Narsapura, 40 km from Bengaluru.

Global aerospace firm Airbus has recently approved Mahindra Aerospace and GE Aviation working on single aisle for its new aircraft at the latter's Hamble facility in Southampton, Hampshire, in Britain.

"The agreement takes our partnership to the next stage of creating value for aerospace manufacturers and tier-1 suppliers worldwide," Mahindra Aerospace and defence sector chief executive S.P. Shukla said.

Extending the group's automotive design and manufacturing expertise to the growing aerospace industry, Mahindra Aerospace acquired a slew of companies to strengthen its capabilities in lower-cost production.

"As manufacture of components, assemblies and aerostructures is an integral part of our vision, this agreement makes us part of GE's supply chain and to leverage our capabilities on assembly work packages for aerospace and defence majors worldwide," Mahindra Aerospace executive director Arvind Mehra added.

GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric, provides jet and turboprop engines, components, aerostructures, nacelles and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft.