Turbomeca (Safran), and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ongoing Paris Air Show to establish in India a Joint Venture (JV) to support customers in India and other countries.
This JV will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul for Turbomeca and HAL engines installed on HAL-produced helicopters. Therefore the engine fleet which will be addressed is the TM333 and Shakti engines. Together, Turbomeca and HAL intend to offer their Indian customers a first-class service, with the goal of optimizing engine availability.
With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and 250 Shakti, India’s armed forces are the largest operator of Turbomeca-designed engines in the country. Shakti is the Indian designation of the Turbomeca Ardiden 1, co-developed with HAL, and produced under license.
This JV will boost the “Make-in-India” drive, considering the forecast that around 1,000 Shakti engines will be flying in India over the coming years.
Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Vice President Support & Services, said, “This JV is a new step in a long-lasting and fruitful partnership between Turbomeca and HAL. We are extremely proud of the continued confidence placed in us by HAL. Together with HAL, we are committed to offer world-class support to customers in India and other countries”.
Shri T. Suvarna Raju, CMD-HAL, said “The partnership reflects the close relationship established over many years between HAL and Turbomeca. This MoU places HAL and Turbomeca on a path of ambitious future partnership towards customer support in the field of engine MRO”.
Shakti is fitted to HAL’s ALH/Dhruv rotorcraft. Over the past years, the engine has been selected to power the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and the new, HAL-designed LUH (Light Utility Helicopter), a three-ton single-engine aircraft under development.