HAL signs MoU with French firm to extend cooperation on chopper engines

The MoU was signed during the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Ltd (HE-MRO), a joint venture of HAL and Safran at Sattari in Goa.

Safran manufactures aircraft engines and aerospace components.(Representational image)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with French firm Safran Helicopter Engines to extend their cooperation and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets.

The MoU was signed during the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Ltd (HE-MRO), a joint venture of HAL and Safran at Sattari, 40 km from Panaji, in Goa.

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Safran manufactures aircraft engines and aerospace components. Florent Chauvancy, executive vice-president of OEM Sales at Safran, and Amitabh Bhatt, CEO of HAL’s Bangalore Complex, signed the MoU.

“The 1,000 sq m training and office facility and a 3,800 sq m international class shop facility will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters to increase the operational readiness of the Indian Armed Forces,” said R Madhavan, managing director of HAL, on the proposed HE-MRO facility.

The facility, with the capacity to repair 50 engines a year and a full-capacity goal of 150 engines in the coming years, will be operational by the end of 2023. It can also be expanded for other programmes, including civil or other engines.

Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines, commented, “I am very proud to celebrate the launch of this world-class MRO Centre for the TM333 and Shakti gas turbines aboard Indian armed forces helicopters. This complex will be a key factor for building customer satisfaction and supporting the government of India’s vision for aerospace MRO in India.”

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“With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and over 500 Shakti, India’s armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines and our company powers 100% of HAL-produced helicopters. We support all HAL helicopter programmes and will offer the same level of commitment to their future projects,” Saudo said.

HE-MRO aims to constantly improve serviceability and reduce cycle time to aid the operational preparedness of the armed forces.

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“Shakti is the Indian variant of the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL. (The aerospace firm) has produced over 500 Shakti engines till date successfully,” HAL stated.

Shakti is installed on HAL’s ALH/Dhruv variants, including Rudra, and has also been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The Ardiden 1U variant powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-ton single-engine aircraft. The engine was certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on July 26, 2021 for civil applications.

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