India opens its largest helicopter factory in new defence push

BENGALURU, India: India unveiled on Monday its largest helicopter factory, which can turn out at least 1,000 aircraft a year, as part of a defence self-reliance push to counter China´s growing assertiveness.

New Delhi also announced a double-digit increase in its annual defence budget last week with an eye on its geopolitical rival, with which it shares a disputed northern border. India is one of the largest arms importers in the world and, even with its recent push towards local defence production, still relies heavily on hardware from Moscow, its largest and oldest military supplier.

The new helicopter facility fulfils “our government´s pledge to gradually reduce India´s dependence on foreign countries for its defence needs”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after the inauguration.