Calcutta, July 16: Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the Centre is examining a proposal to set up a helicopter manufacturing unit at Barrackpore in North 24-Parganas.

“The Barrackpore unit of HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) has the expertise to make advanced light helicopters like Cheetah and Chetak, which are used by the defence forces. So, we are trying to set up a manufacturing unit for helicopters in Barrackpore,” Mukherjee told The Telegraph tonight.

“We have been able to overcome the technical defects of advanced light helicopters,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the minister visited the HAL unit at Barrackpore, 15 km from the city, and sanctioned Rs 25 crore for its upgrade.

Started in 1940 as Tata Aviation Ltd, the Barrackpore unit now repairs and overhauls small aircraft and helicopters. From 1944 to 1947, it served as an air force base for the Allied Forces. In 1952, the defence ministry handed over the facility to Hindustan Aircraft Ltd.

In 1982, the Barrackpore unit first serviced a helicopter. Since 1997 the factory has also been the maintenance agency for civilian-purpose helicopters .

PTI today quoted HAL managing director A.K. Saxena as saying that plans are afoot to take up the assembly of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters from next year.

The first helicopter to be built at HAL Bangalore was the Alouette III, later named Chetak. The Alouette II, built specifically for the Indian Army, was later called Cheetah. The first Cheetah was delivered in 1976-77.

Then on, Chetaks and Cheetahs have served all three wings of the Indian armed forces and also civilian customers like state governments.

Mukherjee, who visited the rifle factory at Ichhapur, also in North 24-Parganas, said the Centre would develop and modernise ordnance factories in its bid to make the defence sector self-sufficient.