SQuAD Forging India announced on Tuesday that it has produced its 25,000th aircraft wheel at its manufacturing plant located in the Belagavi aerospace cluster. The joint venture between Aequs Limited and France’s Aubert & Duval has been producing aircraft wheels since 2018. The company reached its first 10,000 wheels in August 2023, taking five years to do so. Remarkably, it has now added another 15,000 wheels in just two years.
“Achieving this milestone on schedule highlights SQuAD’s commitment to meeting customer requirements with precision and reliability,” said Aravind Melligeri, Executive Chairman and CEO of Aequs Limited. He added that Aequs leverages the fully integrated aerospace ecosystem in Belagavi to deliver 100% in-country value addition across several products, including wheels.
The Belagavi unit is a key player in producing small and medium-sized aero-structural components such as wheels, landing gear, engines, turbine parts, braking systems, and structural assemblies. Its facility houses advanced forging capabilities, including a 1,200-tonne screw press, a 10,000-tonne hydraulic press, and specialized heat-treatment lines.
Commenting on the achievement, Etienne Galan, CEO of Aubert & Duval SAS, said: “Reaching the 25,000-wheel milestone reflects Aubert & Duval’s metallurgical expertise and underscores the strength of our partnership with Aequs. India remains a strategic growth market for the global aerospace sector, and this collaboration enables us to continue expanding here.”
Aubert & Duval is a global leader in the production and processing of complex metallic materials—special steels, superalloys, titanium, and aluminum—serving strategic sectors such as aerospace, space, defense, nuclear, energy, and medical. The company offers a fully integrated value chain, from material design to forged blanks, helping customers secure their supply chains and address decarbonization challenges. Aubert & Duval is jointly owned by Airbus, Safran, and the Tikehau Capital fund, with the French State holding a golden share.
Founded in 2006, Aequs is a diversified manufacturing platform offering vertically integrated, high-precision solutions for aerospace and consumer industries. With operations in India, France, and the United States, the company provides global supply chain efficiencies across multiple sectors.
