Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and French firm Safran Helicopter Engines have agreed to establish a support centre in India for national and international rotorcraft customers.

An agreement was signed on Monday by DK Venkatesh, Director (Engg and R&D), HAL, and Bruno Even, CEO, Turbomeca, at the ongoing Farnborough International Airshow (July 11-17) in England.

The new centre will provide MRO services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti engines that power HAL-built helicopters. Safran and HAL will provide their customers with services including optimised engine availability.

With over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333s and 250 Shaktis, India’s armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines. Shakti is the Indian designation for the Safran’s Ardiden 1, co-developed with HAL and produced under a licence.

T Suvarna Raju, CMD of HAL, said: “The JV reflects the close relationship established over many years between HAL and Safran. It places both partners on an ambitious path towards world-beating customer support in the field of engine MRO. The joint venture will provide the impetus for the Make in India initiative since around 1,000 Shakti engines are likely to fly in the coming years.”

Serge Maillé, Safran’s Executive Vice-President for Strategy and Development, said: “This joint venture marks a new step in the long-lasting and fruitful partnership between Safran and HAL. We are extremely proud of the continued confidence placed on us by HAL. Together we are committed to delivering world-class support to our customers, both in India and throughout the region.”

Shakti is fitted to HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) and has been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-tonne single-engine chopper under development, is also fitted with a Turbomeca engine.

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