Israel Aerospace subsidiary plans defence MRO hub in Gurugram

In line with the Indian government’s Make-in-India initiative, Israel Aerospace Industries has launched its Indian subsidiary, Aerospace Services India, with plans to set up a large-scale hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of defence equipment in Gurugram, the Indian subsidiary’s top official said in an interview.

“We are planning to build a large MRO in Gurgaon area. We are waiting for the final confirmation from various government bodies to give us the licence to set this up as an MRO location in which a lot of jobs and talent will be created. This is only the first step in building capabilities,” Danny Lauber, chief executive, Aerospace Services India, said.

Initially, the MRO hub will cover the maintenance and repair aspect for the entire medium-range surface-to-air missile (MRSAM) system, Lauber said.

MRSAM, which is also called ‘Abhra’, is a state-of-the-art, medium-range air defence weapon system and is a joint venture of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israeli Aerospace Industries. The missile system is produced at Bharat Dynamics Ltd (which is headquartered in Hyderabad), with active participation from Indian public and private defence industry partners including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

According to Bharat Dynamics, MRSAM is a supersonic missile that can be launched vertically with a rapid response time and is intended to intercept various airborne threats such as guided bombs, aircraft, missiles and helicopters. It has different variations for use by the army, navy and the air force.

“We are already looking to expand beyond MRSAM programme to other defence programmes and other products that customers require us to do,” added Lauber.

Founded in 1953, Israel Aerospace Industries is Israel’s major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. The company has been present in India for several years now and is engaged in multiple collaborations with Indian agencies and public-sector undertakings regarding the development of defence equipment.

In 2022, it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to convert civil (passenger) aircraft to multi-mission tanker transport (MMTT) aircraft in India. In 2023, it signed another MoU with Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) to tap opportunities in short-range air defence systems.

Earlier this month, Israel Aerospace Industries also signed its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) agreement with Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi to collaborate on applied research. “Aerospace Services India is an Indian firm that sells and deals in rupee, we are moving technologies, capabilities, resources, and we are heavily investing in the Indian market for next generation of product and the next generation of deliveries. Some of the new technologies will be acquired, some will be jointly developed in India,” Lauber said.

Over the past few months, ASI has also set up offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kochi and Hyderabad, which will serve as operational nerve centres for ensuring regular contact with the customer and resolution of complaints in quick time.

“We are looking into manufacturing as well. This is on the horizon. Right now, our focus will be to shorten the delivery response time, because time in the defence industry means operational readiness, greater efficiency and reduced total cost of ownership,” he added.