Turbomeca & HAL sign MOU to repair, maintain engines installed in HAL-helicopters

BENGALURU: Turbomeca ( Safran) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) have agreed to form a Joint Venture (JV) to support customers in India and other countries.

Under an MoU signed at the ongoing Paris Air Show, the joint venture will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul for Turbomeca and HAL engines installed on HAL-produced helicopters.

The engine fleet which will be addressed are the TM333 and Shakti engines. Together, Turbomeca and HAL intend to offer their Indian customers a first-class service, with the goal of optimising engine availability, HAL said in a release.

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.

The 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, HAL said.

Franck Saudo, Turbomeca Vice President Support and Services, said, "This JV is a new step in a long-lasting and fruitful partnership between Turbomeca and HAL... Together with HAL, we are committed to offer world-class support to customers in India and other countries".

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-tonne single-engine aircraft is under development.