Safran-HAL joint venture
A new joint venture between Safran and Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) was inaugurated in Goa, in southwest India, on 23 October.
The joint venture, called Helicopter Engines MRO (HE-MRO), has been set up to provide maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services for Safran TM 333 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters operated by national and international operators.
HE-MRO will operate from a 3,800sqm shop and 1,000sqm office facility, with an initial capacity to repair 50 engines per year when it commences activities in 2017. This will grow to 150 engines per year in the coming years, and services may expand to include other engine types.
India’s armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines, with a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM 333 and 250 Shakti. Shakti is the Indian designation for the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL and produced under license.
Shakti is fitted to HAL’s ALH/Dhruv and has been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The Ardiden 1U variant powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-ton single-engine aircraft that made its maiden flight in September 2016.
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