HAL, Safran join hands to build helicopter engines, opens new facility to make piping for LEAP engines

Madhavan said, “Safran Helicopter Engines has been our valued partner for several decades. We now look forward to utilise this opportunity to leverage HAL’s experience in manufacturing of more than 15 types of aircraft and helicopter engines to jointly co-develop and manufacture engine with immediate focus on IMRH and its naval variant the Deck Based Multi Role Helicopter (DBMRH). This partnership will involve and utilise the Indian Defence manufacturing ecosystem within India.”

Speaking with The Indian Express, Saudo said, “This is a 50-50 joint venture between the two companies. We are immensely proud to be working with the HAL in serving the Indian Armed Forces. This is happening for the first time in India so it is indeed historic.”

Saudo added, “The engine which we will be developing will be for the IMRH which is the future of heavy helicopters. The creation of this new joint venture marks a turning point in our relationship with HAL and the Indian MoD with the development and production of a new generation of helicopter engine. We are proud to further expand our structuring partnership with HAL, which began more than 50 years ago, and which was recently illustrated with the development and production of the Shakti engine and the inauguration of our joint venture Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO). With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, India’s Armed Forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines.”

On July 5, a high-level delegation of Safran Group met with defence minister Rajnath Singh in the national capital. Officials say that the discussions about the joint venture were also held in the meeting.

HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines already have multiple partnerships, including the Shakti engine, which powers HAL-produced helicopters, including the Dhruv, Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). More than 500 Shakti engines have already been produced.

In March, the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture of HAL and Safran was held at Sattari, 40 km from Panaji in Goa. During the ceremony, both partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to extend their cooperation and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets. Through HE-MRO joint venture in Goa, HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines will also provide MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) services for TM333 and Shakti engines in service with the Indian Armed Forces. It will be operational by the end of 2023.

Safran-HAL Aircraft Engines facility, a 50/50 joint venture between French aerospace company Safran Aircraft Engines and state-owned defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited was also inaugurated in a Special Economic Zone near the Kempegowda International Airport on July 8. The plant makes complex piping, mostly for the LEAP engine.

On July 7, Safran Aircraft Engines and Safran Electrical and Power were opened in Hyderabad. Safran has operated in India for 65 years and now counts 10 facilities and 750 employees in the country.

Olivier Andriės, Chief Executive Officer of Safran said, “With these new sites, we are opening a new chapter in Safran’s long history with the Indian aerospace and defence industries and we are reaffirming our commitment to the government’s Make in India policy and sovereignty strategy. To support the country’s dynamic aviation market, with passenger traffic set to more than double in the next twenty years, we are accelerating our investments and industrial development in India. Through the creation of our largest maintenance and repair centre for commercial engines, we are also paving the way to expand our MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) activities in India to military engines.”

The Safran Aircraft Engines plant will make rotating parts for the LEAP engine from CFM International. CFM International, the 50/50 joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE, develops, produces and markets the CFM56 engine and its successor, the LEAP.

Jean Paul Alary, chief executive officer of Safran Aircraft Engines, said that the plant is dedicated to making complex piping for the LEAP engine. “The new MRO centre in Hyderabad is the largest by Safran Aircraft Engines and will start its operations in 2025 and will offer a capacity of 250-350 engine shop visits. We want to develop piping for the M88, the engine that powers Rafale fighter jets. We want to continue our collaboration with India,” he said.

On the co-development of engines for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme with HAL, Alary said that the plan is at the stage of discussion.