BENGALURU: Godrej Aerospace, a division of Godrej and Boyce, is investing around Rs 500 crore in a new manufacturing facility at Khalapur, located about 70km from Mumbai. This greenfield project, spread out on 100 acres of land, is anticipated to be completed within three years, and will be devoted to the defence and aerospace markets, the company said.
Godrej Aerospace AVP and business head Maneck Behramkamdin told TNIE that the investment will largely be towards establishing infrastructure and machinery, among other things. In September 2022, Godrej Aerospace won an order to manufacture eight modules for a DRDO engine. “It’s a Kaveri derivative engine – a 48 kN dry engine without an afterburner – for which we have the order to manufacture eight modules. As we speak, we are in the advanced stages of making the modules and getting into actual manufacturing,” Behramkamdin said.
It is learnt that the engine will be used in some autonomous air vehicles. “The design is according to the GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment). We will manufacture the modules with our ecosystem partners. All processing, tooling and engineering will be done by Godrej. These engines would be delivered by late 2023 or early 2024,” he added.
Godrej has been a major contributor to the country’s aerospace story. It has been manufacturing engines for space. Godrej Aerospace has been partnering with ISRO for over 30 years to manufacture complex systems such as liquid propulsion engines for PSLV and GSLV rockets, thrusters for satellites, and antenna systems. The company has also played an integral part in the Chandrayaan and Mangalyaan missions. “With our consortium partner MTAR, we have delivered around 220 (Vikas) engines to ISRO. We have also delivered a good number of cryogenic engines,” Behramkamdin said.
Elaborating on the company’s other plans, he said, “We have been in the business of manufacturing the airframe for BrahMos for more than 20 years. We continue in that direction in the realm of airframes, mechanical systems, pneumatic systems, hydraulic systems, actuators for the LCA, and our foray into engines.”
“Today, we work for companies like Rolls-Royce and Safran for commercial aircraft... With the Kaveri engines, we want to gain experience and partner into modules. We want to go up in the value-chain... We are also getting into new categories, such as crash-worthy seating for helicopters and aircraft. Our focus is on missile systems, airframes and engines, among others,” he concluded.