The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Helicopter Engines Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Pvt. Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture of HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines (SafranHE), France at Sattari District, North Goa.
The JV will provide MRO services for Safran TM333 2B2 and HAL Shakti engines installed on HAL-built helicopters operated by the Defence Services.
The JV reflects the longstanding relationship between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines.
The JVC brings about synergy of the expertise from HAL and SafranHE in the field of ROH of Safran family of engines.
The MRO Centre plans to progressively support engines of International Operators and other engines as mutually agreed between the partners.
In addition to carrying out overhaul activities at Goa, the JV will also provide support through Certified Maintenance Centers located centrally at customer bases.
With a fleet of over 1,000 engines, including 250 TM333 and 250 Shakti, India’s armed forces are one of the largest operators of Safran-designed helicopter engines.
Shakti is the Indian designation for the Safran Ardiden 1H1, co-developed with HAL and produced under license.
Shakti is fitted to HAL’s ALH/Dhruv and has been selected to power the HAL-designed Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
The Ardiden 1U variant powers the new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a three-ton single-engine aircraft that made its maiden flight in September 2016.
