FlightGlobal
• Greg Waldron
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed an agreement through their SAFHAL joint venture to develop and produce the high-power Aravalli turboshaft engine. The engine is intended for HAL’s Indian Multi-Role Helicopter and naval Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter programs, deepening India-France defense cooperation.
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India is seeking access to critical fighter-engine technology available to only a handful of countries, as Rolls-Royce and Safran vie to support its next-generation fighter program. The competition could center as much on technology access as on the engine itself.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed an agreement through their SAFHAL joint venture to develop and produce the high-power Aravalli turboshaft engine. The engine is intended for HAL’s Indian Multi-Role Helicopter and naval Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter programs, deepening India-France defense cooperation.
Safran’s chief technology officer detailed the scope of the aerospace group’s collaboration with ZeroAvia, confirming that Safran has not invested directly in its partner. The companies are pursuing joint research efforts that could help generate additional funding for their technology-development work.
Safran’s Arriel 2K turboshaft has received EASA certification for Leonardo’s AW09 helicopter, following more than 600 hours of flight testing since its first flight in March 2023. The approval advances the engine-airframe combination toward operational deployment and removes a key certification milestone for the single-engine rotorcraft.
MTU Aero Engines CEO Johannes Bussmann cautioned that differing French and German fighter aircraft requirements could put at risk the company’s engine partnership with Safran, following the collapse of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program.
India plans a major partnership with Safran to develop a next-generation turbofan, framed as a step-change for domestic aerospace sovereignty. Safran will also develop a single next-generation fighter engine and will prioritize French requirements because Franco-German FCAS propulsion funding ends in September.
Safran says it has delivered more than 1,000 LEAP powerplants in the first six months as part of its CFM International role. The French aerospace firm has also increased its full-year forecast for LEAP engine deliveries, projecting a “high teens” percentage rise versus last year.
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