February 15, 2008 -- US helicopter maker Sikorsky and the Tata Group of India are teaming up in a joint helicopter manufacturing project in India, Sikorsky said Friday.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. said it had signed a preliminary agreement with Tata Advanced Systems, a defense and aerospace systems subsidiary, to manufacture S-92 helicopter cabins in India.

The Stratford, Connecticut-based company, a unit of United Technologies Corporation, did not disclose details of the partnership.

"India represents an expansive rotorcraft market with enormous potential and opportunity," said Sikorsky president Jeffrey Pino.

"While we are only in the most preliminary of stages, I am most excited at the possibility of working with the well-known and admired Tata Group, and tapping into India's skilled aerospace industry and capability," he said.

The announcement followed a joint venture unveiled Thursday between US aerospace giant Boeing and Tata Industries to handle an initial 500 million dollars of defense-related aerospace component work in India.

Tata Group, one of India's oldest and largest conglomerates, has businesses spread over seven sectors and 98 companies operating on six continents.

Source: Agence France Presse