According to the contract, Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL will work together for the joint development of the engine intended for the future 13-ton IMRH and its naval version DBMRH.
Safran Helicopter Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have signed a workshare agreement at Aero India 2023. According to the contract, the two companies will work together for the joint development of the engine intended for the future 13-ton IMRH (Indian Multi-Role Helicopter) and its naval version DBMRH (Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter).
This new agreement follows the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed on 8th July 2022 and stipulates the sharing of activities within the joint venture where both companies have agreed on an equivalent repartition. In particular, HAL will take part in the design, development, and production of some of the core engine components, which is a breakthrough achievement in terms of expertise and know-how in the country.
Shri C. B. Ananthakrishnan, CMD, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said, “The joint development of high power engine is a new milestone in HALs ever-growing capabilities in the sector with a competent partner like Safran Helicopter Engines. We are confident of making the engine meet the highly stringent and demanding requirements of Indian Defence customers”.
This workshare agreement was signed by Mr. Florent Chauvancy, Safran Helicopter Engines EVP Sales and Marketing, and Mr. K Ramesh, General Manager, HAL Aero Engine Research and Design Centre, in presence of Mr. Shri C. B. Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL and Mr. Franck Saudo, CEO, Safran Helicopter Engines.
The development of the IMRH helicopter continues, and a 1/3 scale model was displayed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at Aero India 2023. Discussions are also continuing with the Indian Armed Forces on the operational requirements for this new helicopter. The availability of an indigenous engine will enhance the self-reliance content on the platform. This will further demonstrate the commitment of both Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL to the Indian Government’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, or achieving self-reliance – particularly in the field of defence technologies.
Mr. Franck Saudo, CEO, Safran Helicopter Engines said, “We are very proud to be associated with such an important program of the Indian MoD and very happy to once again support HAL, our partner for decades. While this program will bring many advanced technologies to the Indian aerospace ecosystem and to HAL, it will also provide the Indian Armed Forces with state-of- the-art solutions”.
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Safran and HAL will continue to work on the development of this joint venture in the coming months of 2023. The project is intended not only to develop an engine for the IMRH but also for other helicopters. Both partners also agreed on the condition for the transfer right to HAL for manufacturing of seven critical forging and casting raw parts, for further enhancement of indigenous content in the Shakti engine of Dhruv and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) programs.
