France's Safran commits to Rafale engine assembly line in India for new orders

HYderabad: daniel chester french aerospace john r. Major Safran on wed said it is committed to background up a net Assembly Line (FAL) for engines and critical components of Dassault’s Rafale jets in India, if fresh orders for the aircraft are placed.“If there are more Rafale fighter orders coming in, we are totally committed to make it in India. If there are more Rafale fighters beyond the maintenance, repair for the Rafale fighter engine, we will begin to do an (final) assembly line for the Rafale fighter engine,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and director of Safran Olivier Andriès said.Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually inaugurated Safran’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion) engines that power commercial aircraft, in Hyderabad. The Safran Aircraft Engine Services India (SAESI) facility in the city will be operational in 2026.Safran has been a strategic partner to the Indian armed forces for 70 years, especially in helicopter engines with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).Andriès added that if India places an additional order for Rafales, it will be the first time the company manufactures engines outside France.India is a long-standing customer of Safran’s military engines, and apart from a recent order of 26 Rafale M naval variants, it already operates 36 Rafale and 47 Mirage 2000 fighters.In October, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh said the Rafale was one of the options to bolster the Air Force’s combat fleet, in the context of the need for 114 multi-role fighter aircraft to be made in India by a foreign original equipment manufacturer in partnership with a local company.He said that during an earlier procurement, the Rafale was found to be one of the best aircraft among those evaluated. “Any aircraft of that class is required immediately. Whether it is Rafale or something else, it doesn’t matter. But yes, Rafale is easy to absorb (as IAF is already operating it).”“If there are additional Rafale fighters ordered by the Indian Air Force, we would be committed to increase significantly our Make in India. And as part of that, we would be committed to have assembly line of critical equipment in India,” Singh said.“...on the Rafales (fighter jets) we are obviously known for producing the engine. But it’s not only the engine. We do the landing gear… we do all the electrical systems. We do all the fuel systems. We do all the air conditioning… all the oxygen systems… So we have a lot of critical equipment on the Rafale,” he said after PM Modi inaugurated the SAESI facility via video conferencing.Terming the situation beneficial for all, Andriès said, “We believe that increasing our spend here in India is going to be a win-win situation for everybody because we want to contribute to the buildup of an engine ecosystem in India. Having a civilian leg, having a military leg with the M88, we believe we have every asset to contribute to the build of an Indian aerospace engine ecosystem.”A new MRO shop dedicated to the M88 engine powering the Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter jet was also announced on Wednesday. Located in Hyderabad, adjacent to the LEAP engine centre, the 5,000 sq metre facility represents an investment of over €40 million, a statement issued by Safran said.Safran, which has operated in India for more than 70 years and has 18 sites, employs 3,000 people in the country.