Eurocopter, an EADS company and Pawan Hans Helicopter, India, are planning to form two JVs to set up a Maintenance Repair and Overall (MRO) unit and a copter pilot training facility in India.

The two companies are likely to be formally signing the MoUs during the India Aviation 2010 meet that begins on 3 March 2010. Both the JVs will be fully created by end-December 2010. Both the partners are likely to have equal share in the JVs. However, investment details of the ventures are to be disclosed only after signing of the MoU.

Both the MRO and the training facility, which will have a full-flight simulator for the AS 365 N3 Dauphin copters, will be set up in a single location either in Mumbai or Delhi.

The proposed MRO facility is likely to be set up to service Eurocopter's Dauphin copters, which are being used by Pawan Hans in the oil and gas sector. As it is being planned for a capacity of 50-60 copters per annum, it is to be used to service similar copters for other companies, as well as those deployed in neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, Eurocopter is in the process of signing agreements with some 40 different companies, including L&T and the Tatas, for supply of helicopter components. It is finalising plans to set up an Indian subsidiary to handle its entire Indian operations within the next few months. Also, plans are afoot to set up an engineering centre at Bangalore within the next two years, as part of its expansion plans in India.