BHUBANESWAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday announced a second production line for Shakti helicopter engines at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Koraput division which marked the delivery of its 2,000th aero-engine.
Speaking on the occasion, Singh said the Rs 218 crore facility, scheduled to be fully operational by 2028-29, will produce up to 100 Shakti engines annually for indigenous helicopters, including the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter and Prachand Light Combat Helicopter.
Congratulating the engineers, technicians, scientists and skilled workforce of HAL, Singh described the 2,000-engine milestone as a significant achievement in India’s aerospace journey and called for transforming Koraput into a broader aerospace propulsion ecosystem rather than limiting it to engine production.
The Koraput division, established in 1964, has powered frontline aircraft including the MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI. It has also overhauled more than 9,000 engines, helping extend the service life of critical defence platforms, Singh added.
The Defence minister said HAL was raising annual production capacity of AL-31FP engines for the Su-30MKI from 30 to 50, with an investment of Rs 335 crore. Against an order for 240 engines placed in 2024, the HAL has delivered 63, exceeding its target of 60 by the end of the second year despite supply-chain and raw-material challenges. Describing the aero-engine as the ‘heart’ of an aircraft, Singh said mastery of propulsion technology was indispensable to fully exploit advanced airframes, weapons, radars and avionics.
Singh stressed the importance of indigenous capabilities in superalloys, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, cooling technologies and testing. He also linked propulsion self-reliance to the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme, citing a proposed investment of around Rs 5,000 crore, indigenous raw-material development with MIDHANI and establishment of India’s first indigenous high-thrust engine testing facility.
The defence minister made a strong pitch for Odisha to emerge as a major aerospace and defence manufacturing hub projecting HAL’s Koraput facility as the nucleus of a wider indigenous propulsion ecosystem.
Odisha, he said, is emerging in the defence and aerospace sector with its ports, coastline, mineral resources, industrial base and skilled manpower and referred to DRDO’s Integrated Test Range at Chandipur and the state government’s approval for an Aerospace and Defence Equipment Manufacturing Complex at Gajamara in Dhenkanal.
Singh urged HAL to build a strong local supply chain by mentoring MSMEs and start-ups, working with universities and research institutions, creating opportunities for young engineers and skilled youth and developing indigenous manufacturing capabilities for critical engine components.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Tejpal Singh and HAL CMD Ravi K were among those present.
