The products that HAL and Safran will jointly produce in Bengaluru will power the Airbus A320 Neo family and the Boeing 737 Max single-aisle airliners
By Vikas Gupta
Defence News of India, 28th Oct 23
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Safran Aircraft Engines of France signed on Friday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop industrial cooperation in manufacturing ring forgings for commercial aircraft engines.
“HAL will produce LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engine forgings at its foundry and forge facility in Bengaluru as part of the MoU,” announced HAL on Friday.
“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with HAL, which is already part of the LEAP supply chain through our joint-venture in Bengaluru,” said Safran’s CEO, Jean-Paul Alary.
The products that HAL and Safran will jointly produce in Bengaluru will power the Airbus A320 Neo family and the Boeing 737 Max single-aisle airliners.
The MoU was signed in Bengaluru by Mihir Kanti Mishra of HAL’s Bangalore Complex and. Dominique Dupuy of Safran.
The joint development and manufacture of aircraft engines by Safran and HAL underscores the strategic cooperation that increasingly characterises the Indo-French security agenda.
The Shakti engine, co-developed and co-manufactured in Bengaluru by HAL and Safran, is one of the few power plants with the thrust required to propel HAL’s family of indigenous helicopters to the challenging heights of Kargil and the Saltoro Ridge, where the Indian Army is deployed at altitudes exceeding 20,000 feet.
The Shakti engine powers indigenous helicopters that include the Dhruv (ALH) advanced light helicopter, the Rudra attack helicopter, the Prachanda light combat helicopter (LCH) and the light utility helicopter (LUH).
Deepening HAL-Safran cooperation further, India’s ministry of defence (MoD) announced last July the procurement of 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft from French aerospace firm, Dassault. Those twin-engine fighters, which would fly from India’s two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant, would involve the procurement of at least 56-60 engines from Safran Aircraft Engines.
“Safran is a long standing partner, especially on our helicopter programs, as evidenced by the joint development of the Shakti helicopter engine, said CB Ananthakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL.
“We are also going to co-design and co-produce the next generation Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH) engine with Safran. We are proud to take this partnership to another level, and to develop our skills in key technologies”, said Ananthakrishnan.
