Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and France's Safran have taken a significant step forward in India's helicopter programme, with their latest agreement moving the Aravalli helicopter engine from design work into the development and production phase.

The pact was signed under SAFHAL, the joint venture established by HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines to design, develop, manufacture and support helicopter engines in India. The Aravalli engine is intended to power two of India's most important next-generation rotorcraft programmes: the 13-tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) being developed for the Indian Air Force and Indian Army, and the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH) planned for the Indian Navy.

The IMRH is envisaged as a medium-lift helicopter that would eventually replace the Indian military's ageing fleets of legacy medium-lift rotorcraft. The DBMRH would be its naval variant, designed to operate from ships at sea. Both programmes are being led by HAL and represent India's push to indigenise a segment of military aviation that has historically depended on imported platforms and engines. The collaboration also builds on an established relationship: HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines already co-produce the Shakti engine, which powers HAL's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), giving the partners prior experience in engine manufacturing in India.

Beyond the engine itself, the agreement is significant for Indian aerospace manufacturing. Co-developing and producing a modern turboshaft engine domestically would deepen the country's aerospace industrial base and strengthen local capabilities in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for helicopter propulsion systems. Engine development is widely regarded as one of the most technologically demanding areas of aerospace work, and few countries possess independent turboshaft design and production capabilities. India's current medium-lift fleet, including helicopters of Russian origin, relies on engines designed and built abroad, which exposes the armed forces to foreign supply chains for spares and servicing — a long-standing concern that domestic engine production is intended to address.

Safran Helicopter Engines, a subsidiary of France's Safran Group, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of helicopter turbine engines, and its partnership with HAL — one of India's largest state-owned aerospace and defence companies — combines established engine expertise with India's drive for self-reliance in defence production, a priority reinforced by government policy encouraging domestic design and manufacture of defence equipment.

The original report is available at CNBC-TV18.