Following the success of the Indo-French ‘Ardiden 1H1 Shakti’ engine co-developed for India’s Advanced light helicopters that operate with the tri-services and Coast Guard, French aerospace giant Safran is now collaborating with the Indian government firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to co-develop and build the ‘Aravalli’ engines for the upcoming Indian multi-role helicopter, Philippe Errera, Executive Vice President, International and Public Affairs, Safran told WION. 

Furthering their presence in India, Safran, which is partially owned by the French Government, has established a manufacturing-cum-R&D facility for electronic components in Bengaluru.

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He added that Safran, among the world leaders in civil and military jet engines, had made an unprecedented offer to India—for the co-design, co-development and co-production of jet engines for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which is India’s under-development 5th generation fighter jet. Jet engines comprise almost half the cost of a fighter jet, and this is a crucial technology that India has been unable to master on its own.

Aravalli Helicopter Engine

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SAFHAL, a joint venture between Safran Helicopter Engines SAS and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, dedicated to the design, development, production, sales and support of new generation helicopter engines in India, marks a significant milestone in India’s aerospace and defence sector.

The engine named Aravalli is meant to power the 13-ton Medium Lift-class, Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH), both being designed and developed by HAL. The name Aravalli is derived from the mighty mountain range of India.

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IMRH is a new 13-ton multi-role helicopter designed by HAL to meet the requirements of the Indian armed forces. A naval version, the 12.5-ton DBMRH (Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter), is also being developed for the Indian Navy. The Aravalli engines will be designed to operate in diverse and challenging environments in which these helicopters will be deployed. It is envisioned that the IMRH can be offered to the civil aviation market for offshore operations, utility, VVIP transport, etc.

Rafale jets’ radar being made in India

The Indian Air Force operates 36 French-origin Dassault Rafale fighter jets. Specifically developed for Rafale, the RBE2 is the first in-service European Active Electronically Scanned Array radar and has been combat proven on Rafale aircraft operated by the French Air Force and the French Navy. The T/R (transmit/receive) modules are key to the RBE2 radar’s active electronic scanning performance, enabling it to steer the radar beam with the speed of an electronic chip.

In line with the Make in India policy, Indian Government firm Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has manufactured the 7,000th T/R (transmit/receive) module for the RBE2 radar on-board the Dassault Aviation Rafale, and delivered it to Thales. This Thales-BEL cooperation has been expanded with the start-of-the production of advanced technological microwave modules dedicated to the Rafale SPECTRA EW (Electronic Warfare) suite.

HAMMER Missile - Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range

HAMMER is a French-origin medium-range air-to-surface weapon that is used against ground targets such as bunkers, hardened shelters. With a range of over 70 km, the system enables fighter aircraft to release the weapon from a relatively safe distance from enemy air defence systems. HAMMER can be integrated with bombs of varying sizes – 125 kg, 250 kg, 500 kg and 1000 kg. The HAMMER is a weapon that is in use on the Rafale aircraft and is meant to be used with India’s indigenous Tejas jets as well. HAMMER will be made in India in partnership between Safran and Bharat Electronics Limited.

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