Mumbai: Lohia Aerospace Systems will invest $8-10 million over the next two years to set up India’s first commercial large-format additive manufacturing facility for aerospace composite tooling, as the company looks to reduce dependence on imported production tools and tap growing domestic defence demand.The aerospace manufacturer on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with Israel’s Massivit to bring the latter’s RapidWings large-format additive manufacturing technology to India. The facility, to be housed at Lohia’s Kanpur plant, is expected to begin with an expansion of 250,000 sq ft alongside its existing manufacturing unit.Also Read: Indian Navy launches 5th Diving Support Craft 'DSC A24' in KolkataThe technology allows aerospace moulds and production tools to be produced in days rather than weeks, cutting manufacturing cycles by as much as 90% and tooling costs by up to 50%, according to the company.Lohia plans to deploy eight to ten large-format additive manufacturing systems over time, with the project expected to create 60-100 skilled jobs. Each system will be capable of producing one to two tooling sets a day.The move comes as India’s aerospace and defence manufacturing ecosystem expands rapidly under the government’s push for domestic production, increasing demand for faster and lower-cost manufacturing technologies. Composite tooling remains one of the biggest bottlenecks in aerospace manufacturing because of long production lead times.Also Read: Indian Army launches indigenous XWG diesel that works at minus 42°C for tanks, combat vehicles along LAC, LoC“Our dependence on imported tooling has to reduce if India wants to scale indigenous aerospace manufacturing,” Chairman and Managing Director Anurag Lohia said. “This technology allows us to shorten delivery timelines while expanding production capacity.”Under the alliance, Lohia Aerospace will manufacture, finish and certify tooling through its AS9100D and NADCAP-certified facilities, while holding exclusive rights to deploy Massivit’s RapidWings platform for India’s aerospace and defence sector, including unmanned aerial vehicles and manned aircraft programmes.Massivit Chief Business Officer Ziki Kuly said the partnership would help localise production of mission-critical aerospace tooling for one of the world’s fastest-growing defence markets.The facility is also expected to serve composite manufacturers in other industrial sectors as India seeks to build domestic capabilities in advanced manufacturing and progressively replace imported tooling.