PANAJI: More than five years after the foundation stone was laid for the helicopter repair and overhaul facility at Honda in Sattari, construction of the Rs170cr facility has commenced.
On Monday, HAL and French aerospace giant Safran kick-started the project with a ground-breaking ceremony after which the two firms signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to extend cooperation and explore opportunities for new helicopter engines in civil and military markets.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) said that project was delayed due to a major crisis impacting the international helicopter market, closely followed by the worldwide pandemic.
HAL, the defence public sector undertaking (PSU) and Safran have set up Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt. Ltd. (HE-MRO) as a joint venture to repair TM333 and Shakti gas turbine engines. The Shakti engine is installed on HAL’s advanced light helicopter known as Dhruv and its variants including the Rudra and light combat helicopter. The Ardiden 1U engine powers the new light utility helicopter, a three-ton single-engine aircraft. The Ardiden 1U engine was certified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on July 26, 2021 for civilian helicopters.
HAL chairman and managing director R Madhavan and chief executive officer of Safran Helicopter Engines, Franck Saudo along with officers from the Indian armed forces were present at Honda.
“The facility will be operational by the end of 2023 with a capacity to repair 50 engines a year and a full-capacity goal of 150 engines in the coming years. The joint venture will also bring employment opportunities to over 60 qualified engineers and technicians of the region,” said HAL spokesperson Gopal Sutar.
Former defence minister Manohar Parrikar had laid the foundation stone for the project in July 2016 but Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) gave the green signal to transfer the land to the aerospace firm only in December 2017.
HAL acquired assets of the defunct Goa Automobile Accessories Ltd for Rs7 crore, and along with Safran India will invest Rs170 crore to set up HE-MRO.
“The 1,000sqm training and office facility and a 3,800sqm international class shop facility will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters to increase the operational readiness of the Indian armed forces,” said Madhavan.
India’s armed forces are among the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines with over 1,000 engines operational across the country, including 250 TM333 and over 500 Shakti engines. Shakti is the Indian variant of the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL. HAL has produced over 500 Shakti engines successfully till date.
“I am very proud to celebrate the launch of this world class MRO centre for the TM333 and Shakti gas turbines aboard India armed forces’ helicopters. This complex will be a key factor for building customer satisfaction and supporting the government of India’s vision for aerospace MRO in India,” said Saudo.
Sutar said that employment will increase with HAL’s expansion over the years. The facility has an expansion capacity for other programs and could include non-military or other engines in the future.
The facility at Honda will help improve serviceability and reduce the time to help the operational preparedness of Indian armed forces.
