From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Feb 15: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed a contract with Argentinian Air Force (AAF) for supply of spares and engine repair of legacy two tonne class helicopters.
The contract was signed by Brigadier General Xavier Issac, Chief of Air Force, AAF and C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL.
Brigadier General Xavier Issac said the contract for support service is a stepping stone for the future engagements and defence co-operation between India and Argentina.
Ananthakrishnan said this contract will further pave the way for giving new impetus for defence exports in the Latin American region. HAL has been supporting the Indian defence services and will extend all the support to
the AAF too.
HAL-Safran move partnership for IMRH engine
In another major deal, Safran Helicopter Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have signed a workshare agreement for the joint development of the engine intended for the future 13-tonne IMRH (Indian Multi-Role Helicopter) and its naval version DBMRH (Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter).
This agreement follows the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed on July 8, 2022 and stipulates the sharing of activities within the joint venture where both parties 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.
This workshare agreement was signed by Florent Chauvancy, Safran Helicopter Engines EVP Sales and Marketing, and K Ramesh, General Manager, HAL Aero Engine Research and Design Centre, in presence of C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL and Franck Saudo, CEO, Safran Helicopter Engines.
The development of the IMRH helicopter continues, and a 1/3 scale model was displayed by HAL at Aero India 2023. Discussions are also continuing with the Indian Armed Forces on the operational requirements for this new helicopter. Availability of an indigenous engine will enhance the self-reliance content on the platform and demonstrates the commitment of both Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL to the Indian Government’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”, or achieving self-reliance - particularly in defence technologies.
C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL stated that: “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.”
Franck Saudo, CEO, Safran Helicopter Engines commented, “We are very proud to be associated with such an important program of HAL 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.”
Safran and HAL will continue to work on the development of this joint venture in the coming months, which is intended not only to develop an engine for the IMRH, but also for other helicopters.
Safran Helicopter Engine & HAL also agreed on the condition for the transfer right to HAL for manufacturing of 7 critical Forging and Casting raw parts, for further enhancement of Indigenous Content (IC) in Shakti Engine of ALH/ LCH.29999.
Navy chief of Staff releases photo essay
Admiral R Harikumar, chief of Naval Staff and C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL
released a photo essay, compiled by HAL, on RD 33MK ROH project without ToT during Aero India 2023.
The Indian Navy is operating MiG-29K aircraft which is powered by Russian origin RD-33MK aero engines. Presently, the country does not have Transfer of Technology (ToT) for Repair and Overhaul (ROH) of engines and hence maintaining serviceability of aircraft is a challenging task.
The Indian Navy and HAL took the initiative and attempted ROH of RD-33MK engine without ToT from OEM with the assistance from regulatory agencies and DRDO labs like RCMA, DGAQA and GTRE.
The activities have been documented in the form of photo-essay to create an institutional memory and repeatability of process.