Indian HAL and French aerospace firm Safran Helicopter Engines have inked a deal to co-develop the Aravalli helicopter engine, a next-generation engine which is meant for India’s future multirole military helicopters. The engine of 3,500-4,000 shaft horse power class would power HAL’s 13-tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and the 12.5-tonne naval version, the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH).
Contract Between HAL and Safran for Aravalli Engine Development
The deal involves the entire lifecycle of the engine including its design, development, manufacture, delivery and support.
Aravalli engine would be designed and manufactured by the 50:50 joint venture company named SAFHAL Helicopter Engines Pvt Ltd between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines. The production of the engine is planned to be done at the HAL facility in Tumakuru, Karnataka.
Both companies will equally share the development effort. HAL will play a dual role in the project – one of the shareholder of SAFHAL and also as a customer of the engine as the helicopter manufacturer.
What Helicopters Are Targeted for Aravalli?
The Aravalli project is aimed at the development of the engines that will equip two new helicopters.
- Indian Multirole Helicopter (IMRH): 13 tonne category
- Deck-Based Multirole Helicopter (DBMRH): 12.5 tonne category
The IMRH is supposed to perform a range of functions within the Indian military, whereas the navy version of the helicopter – DBMRH will perform missions from warships.
High-power engines will be vital for the performance of both helicopters of these classes.
Significance of the HAL-Safran Cooperation for India
The contract is important for India because of its further plans of achieving self-sufficiency in aero-engine technology development. The development of the high-power helicopter engines independently can give the country more freedom in this field.
Ravi K, the HAL Chairman and Managing Director noted that this is a step to India’s self-reliance in aero-engine technology.
According to the CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines Olivier Andries, this program marks a new page in India-France cooperation and is Safran’s first joint development of such power engines.
Existing Presence of Safran in India
The Aravalli project is based on an existing collaboration between Safran and the Indian aerospace and defense industry. Safran is currently the biggest supplier of helicopter engines to the Indian Armed Forces, supplying over 1,200 engines.
Safran and HAL have collaborated previously in creating the Shakti engine, which has been developed from the Ardiden 1H1 engine of Safran. This engine has been used for powering various platforms such as the Dhruv, Prachand and LUH in Bengaluru.
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