Italy’s AgustaWestland company, which was linked to the VVIP helicopter scam that created a stir in the country’s politics about one and a half decade ago, has once again returned to India. This time the company has entered into a strategic agreement with Adani Defense and Aerospace Company for manufacturing helicopters under Make in India.
Under the agreement, both the companies will jointly manufacture helicopters for the Army (Army, Air Force and Navy) in the country. After the trade deal between India and the European Union (EU), this is considered a big agreement in both the countries. Apart from the military, both the companies are also preparing to manufacture civil and commercial helicopters.
Leonardo acquires AgustaWestland company
The special thing is that this Leonardo company of Italy is linked to the VVIP helicopter scam that took place in the country a decade ago. AgustaWestland company, which manufactures VVIP helicopters, was acquired by Leonardo a few years ago. AgustaWestland Company had changed its name to Finmanica, which has recently got a clean chit. After the VVIP scam, the Defense Ministry had black-listed Finmanica company.
Helicopter ecosystem will be prepared in India
The agreement was signed by officials associated with both the companies in the presence of Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Adani Defense Director (and son of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani) Jeet Adani on Tuesday (February 3, 2026) in the country’s capital Delhi. During this, company officials told the media that with this agreement, Adani Defense and Leonardo are going to create a helicopter ecosystem in India.
#WATCH | Delhi: On the MoU between Adani Defense and Leonardo, and India-Italy Strategic Partnership, Ambassador of Italy to India, Antonio Enrico Bartoli says, “…I remind you that there was defense cooperation agreement in 2023, talking about co-production projects. Then the… pic.twitter.com/yuAL3MHA2w
— ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2026
Under the agreement, Adani Defense is going to design and manufacture the helicopter under Make in India and prepare the MRO i.e. Maintenance and Repair facility.
Defense Ministry starts tender process for 120 helicopters
According to an estimate, the three wings of the army are going to need more than 300 helicopters, including heavy-lift, attack and multi-role, in the coming years. The Defense Ministry has also started the tender process for 120 helicopters. Because the Cheetah-Chetak helicopters used by the Army, Air Force and Navy are now obsolete and are in dire need of replacement. Adani and Italian companies are making efforts to fulfill this shortage.
AgustaWestland scam happened during Congress government
The VVIP helicopter came into existence in the last years of the Congress-led UPA government (2004-2014). It was alleged that Congress-affiliated leaders and Defense Ministry officials had taken bribes in the purchase of 12 (VVIP) helicopters from Italy’s AgustaWestland company for the Air Force.
The investigation of the case was handed over to CBI and the then Air Force Chief AP Tyagi had to go to jail. In such a situation, the Defense Ministry had banned AgustaWestland and its associated Italian companies manufacturing VVIP helicopters, but in 2021, AgustaWestland got a clean chit.
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