BENGALURU: HAL and Safran on Friday signed an MoU to extend their cooperation and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets, with an eye on achieving self-reliance in defence technologies and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).
Florent Chauvancy, EVP, OEM Sales & Marketing, Safran Helicopter Engines, and Amitabh Bhatt, CEO, HAL’s Bangalore Complex signed the MoU at the ground-breaking ceremony for a new facility of Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture of HAL and Safran at Sattari, 40 km from Panaji in Goa.
The facility will be operational by the end of 2023 with a capacity to repair 50 engines a year, and a full-capacity goal of 150 engines in the coming years. The JV will also create jobs for more than 60 qualified engineers and technicians of the region. The recruitment will increase with growing activities over the years. The facility has an expansion capacity for other programmes and could include civil or other engines in the future.
R Madhavan, CMD, HAL, Franck Saudo, CEO, Safran Helicopter Engines, and senior officers from the Indian armed forces and HAL were present on the occasion. “The 1,000 sq m training and office facility, and a 3,800-sq m international class shop facility will provide MRO services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters to increase the operational readiness of the Indian Armed Forces,” Madhavan said.
“This complex will be a key factor for ensuring customer satisfaction and supporting India’s vision for aerospace MRO in India. 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 per cent of HAL produced helicopters.
We support all HAL helicopter programmes and will offer the level of commitment to their future projects,” Saudo said. Armed forces are among the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines with a fleet having over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and over 500 Shakti engines. Shakti is the Indian variant of the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL.