Merlinhawk and L3Harris Open WESCAM MX-Series Facility

KARTHIK RAMINENI, VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, MERLINHAWK AEROSPACE

In a significant move to bolster India's indigenous defence capabilities, Merlinhawk Aerospace has partnered with L3Harris Technologies and established a WESCAM MX-Series electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) systems service centre in Bengaluru. The MoU for this facility was signed at DefExpo 2022, and the centre is now fully operational.

Karthik Ramineni, Vice President of Operations at Merlinhawk Aerospace, confirmed during Aero India that the facility's operational status, stating that it will focus on the repair and training of turret systems. Engineers at Merlinhawk are receiving specialised training from L3Harris WESCAM to ensure high-quality service standards.

This collaboration aims to localise service capabilities under a WESCAM Authorised Service Centre (WASC) through the transfer of knowledge, specialised tooling, and technical publications. Such centres are rare globally due to stringent regulations and the critical nature of specific components. The establishment of this facility in India marks a significant step toward strengthening Indian companies in the defence sector.

"We have been around for four decades. We are a 100 per cent Indian company. We have delivered components for defence and our engineers have been trained. Indian licenses are in place for our turrets now. The initial programmes will support the Indian Air Force and going further, we will be advancing to MQ-9B," said Ram R. Ramineni, Managing Director of Merlinhawk Aerospace.

The new service centre is situated at Merlinhawk's existing facility in Bengaluru and is poised to cater to customers across the region, enhancing the operational readiness of India's defence forces. This development underscores the growing emphasis on self-reliance in India's defence sector and the critical role of international collaborations in achieving this objective.