This decision was achieved thanks to a dynamic common work cycle between the two companies, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 8th July 2022 and an agreement on workshare reached between the two partners during Aero India 2023.

ALSO READ: HAL and Safran sign MoU to extend cooperation for new helicopter engines

The collaboration the Indian and French Aerospace majors is clearly supporting the development of the aerospace strategic roadmap between the two countries while once again endorsing the Indian Government’s vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat” – particularly in defence technologies. Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL see this joint venture as a natural further step in their robust, well balanced and growing relationship.

Mr. Cedric Goubet, Safran Helicopter Engines CEO, said: “We at Safran Helicopter Engines are truly elated to partner with HAL and India to craft this new turboshaft engine joint venture set to address the Indian market and also future export opportunities. It marks a turning point in not only the longstanding relationship between our two companies but also between India and France. Together we will remain fully dedicated to our customers in India, proud to designing and producing new efficient helicopter engines.”

Mr. C.B. Ananthkrishnan, CMD, HAL said: “Safran Helicopter Engines has been our valued partner for several decades. We both have embarked on a new journey, leveraging HAL’s experience in manufacturing of more than 15 types of aircraft and helicopter engines and Safran Helicopter Engines’ expertise in desiging turboshaft engines. The objective is to co-develop and co-produce turboshaft engines in India – with immediate focus on IMRH and DBMRH. This partnership will engage and harness the Indian Defence manufacturing ecosystem towards realising Atmanirbhar Bharat vision of our Honble PM”.

Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL already have multiple successful partnerships on helicopter powerplants, including the Shakti engine, which powers HAL-produced helicopters, comprising the Dhruv, Rudra and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH Prachand). More than 500 Shakti engines have already been produced. The new joint venture further extends the sphere of current cooperation and explores opportunities for strategic business collaboration that leverage the complementary talents and capabilities of the two aviation firms.

Through HE-MRO joint venture in Goa, Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL will also provide MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) services for TM333 and Shakti engines in the service of Indian Armed Forces.

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The HAL project will substitute imports of more than Rs 4 lakh crore worth of military helicopters for the three services in the coming years. With a huge potential for export, the HAL intends to target the global helicopter market as well.

Replacement Plans

The IMRH is being developed as an indigenous replacement for existing helicopters such as the Mil Mi-17 in the air force, which were imported from Russia and the Kamov and Seaking helicopters in the navy, which were imported from Russia and the UK, respectively. Depending on its configuration, the IMRH can carry either 24 or 36 troops. The air force’s Mi-17 helicopters are slated for replacement starting from 2028 as per current plans. HAL is benchmarking the proposed IMRH against its contemporary helicopters, viz. Mi-17, S-92, AW-101, NH-90 & EC-725.

The Mi-17 helicopters are planned to be phased out by 2032. HAL is aiming to produce at least 500 helicopters of this type, but with more endurance than Mi-17s. An assured demand of at least 400 helicopters is offered by the HAL to selected partners.

There were as of 2021 around 240 Mi-17 helicopters of three variants operating in the inventory of the Indian Air Force, helicopters which, starting from 2028, will be progressively phased out. The Air Force has indicated a replacement requirement of 250 helicopters in the medium-lift category. The Army, which at present does not have any medium-lift helicopters in its inventory, has also indicated a demand of around 170 medium-lift helicopters, calling them Tactical Battlefield Support helicopters. The Navy, which operates 63 medium helicopters, has indicated a demand of 123 such helicopters. HAL projected a total requirement of 314 helicopters for the armed forces — 200 for the Air Force, 100 for the Army and 14 for the Navy — totalling an expenditure of around Rs.78,500 crore, with a further Rs.62,800 crore accruing by way of spares support over the life of these helicopters.

Design & Development

The preliminary design of the helicopter is complete. The first prototype set is expected to be ready by next year.

The IMRH is being developed at HAL’s Rotary Wing R&D Centre (RWRDC) in Bengaluru, one of the oldest helicopter design and production agencies in Asia (if not the oldest). It was established in 1970 as Helicopter Design Bureau and later renamed RWR&DC in 1998. The IMRH was originally conceived as a 10-tonne class helicopter to meet the Indian army, air force and navy requirements. It has now grown into a 13-tonne class helicopter that will be able to undertake various roles for the armed forces such as support air assault, air transport, VIP transport, combat logistics viz. troop transport, combat search & rescue and casualty evacuation operations, etc.

Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premium laboratory of DRDO, has taken up a program to develop five sets (300 in number) of single crystal high pressure turbine (HPT) blades using a nickel-based super-alloy. Very few countries such as the USA, UK, France and Russia have the capability to design and manufacture such state-of-the-art Single Crystal (SX) components, which have a complex shape and geometry, manufactured out of Nickel based super-alloys, and are capable of withstanding high temperatures of operation.

DRDO has developed single crystal blades technology and supplied 60 of these blades to HAL as part of their indigenous helicopter development program for helicopter engine application.

Features

In 2021, details on progress were unveiled in Aero India. The helicopter is expected to have a maximum take off weight of 13 tonnes and will have 24 to 36 crews onboard in various configurations. The helicopter will have a five bladed main rotor with a diameter of 21.2 meters and a four-blade tail rotor. MRH will have 75% domestic content but will use an imported 2000kW turboshaft engine. Payload capacity at sea level will be 4 tonnes and 1.5 tonne at a height of 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Aircraft will have pair of weapons wings which will provide four hardpoints for up to 1,600 kilograms of armaments. First flight is expected four years after development project began while the introduction is scheduled for 2028.

The IMRH will have a service ceiling of 6.5 km, which is unlikely to be matched by any other helicopter in the 13-tonne weight class in the world. HAL quotes a flight endurance of three hours and a maximum cruise speed of 260 kmph. The new helicopter will have a payload of four tonne and crash-worthy tricycle landing gear. The IMRH will be equipped with an indigenously designed smart cockpit, state-of-the-art mission systems, advanced avionic systems and a 4-axis automatic flight control system. HAL RWRDC has now gained extensive experience using composites on the Dhruv, LCH and LUH helicopters, and as a result, the IMRH will feature a composite and modular airframe. The modular airframe will allow HAL to outsource production-related activities for the IMRH.

Private Sector Participation

HAL has begun the formal process for the selection of partners for design, development, and manufacturing of IMRH. This involves Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model via special purpose vehicle (SPV) model.

HAL is setting up a new Helicopter Factory at Tumkur that will produce helicopters of 3 ton to 12 ton category.HAL is also discussing with Safran Helicopter Engines for joint development and manufacturing of IMRH engine under strategic partnership model.

The Defence Ministry has decided to amend the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) manual to allow private sector to collaborate with an Indian Defence PSUs with a majority stake and manufacture weapon systems. This collaboration will be tested in the development and manufacture of IMRH.

The private sector companies will also be allowed to export 25 per cent of their production to third countries and generate foreign exchange for the country. They have also sought an assurance from the Defence Ministry that the Indian armed forces should purchase the helicopter if the product is manufactured in the next five years by advancing timelines and saving money and man-hours.

The decision to allow the private sector to acquire 51 per cent stake and form a joint venture with Indian PSUs was taken as the latter were not being able to deliver in required time leading to cost overruns.

Development Costs

An estimated ₹11,000 crore will be required as development cost with six prototypes for seven years and another ₹12,000 crore for setting up production facilities.

HAL-Safran Joint Venture

The IMRH programme received a boost, with the HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines announcing an agreement, on 8 July, to create a joint venture dedicated to helicopter engine development, production, sales and support. The JV will look to develop an engine for the IMRH, continuing Safran’s success in powering indigenous Indian helicopters in the ALH, LCH and LUH.

The company will also meet the requirement of future helicopter projects of HAL and Ministry of Defence. HAL will hold the type certificate for the engine after completion of the developmental project. The engine development will take three years to complete.

Deck-based Naval Multi-role Helicopter

In July 2021, the Indian Navy formally involved itself in the project, envisaging a customized naval multi-mission capability helicopter for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) / Anti-Surface (ASuW) Special Operations / Search & Rescue (SAR) Utility / Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP), Command and Control (C2) called the Deck-based Naval Multi-role Helicopters (DBMRH). As the naval variant will not perform high-altitude operations, unlike Indian Army and Indian Air Force operations, it will have higher payload capacity and longer range with a more powerful engine.

HAL plans to build three IMRH and three DBMRH in the next few years that will be used for developmental and flight trials. As of now, the Sea King Mk.42B, which the HAL seeks to replace, is fulfilling the ASW requirements of the Navy. The DBMRH will also supplement the recently inducted Lockheed Martin MH-60R Multi Role Helicopters (MRH) fleet.

Comments

The development of the IMRH and the DBMRH will be a shot in the arm for HAL. The indigenous HAL Rudra Combat Utility helicopter, the weaponized version of the Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) is already serving the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. This multi-role helicopter of 5.8 ton class is powered by two Shakti engines and can perform anti-tank warfare and can provide close air support for ground troops, besides the scout, fire support, armed reconnaissance and surveillance, escort and EW platform roles. These helicopters have proven their prowess in high-altitude operations in the Himalayas, where helipads are at an altitude of more than 15,000 ft, and in the desert sector on the western front.

The 13-tonne IMRH will be the largest helicopter designed and developed in India and is more than twice the weight of the 5.5-tonne indigenously developed Dhruv ALH. HAL anticipates the business volume related to IMRH production and Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) phases to be to the tune of over INR 160,000 crore.

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If the development of the new variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv is done successfully, the Indian Navy would be looking at placing orders for 50 of these choppers which would help the Indian Navy to deploy choppers on its warships on high seas.

The development of choppers at the helicopter division of the public sector undertaking is being torn up after HAL claimed to the forces that it has been successful in the development of foldable rotors, the sources said. Due to constraints of space on warships, Navies across the globe require helicopters and aircraft to have foldable wings which allow more assets to be parked there.

The frigates and destroyers have relatively smaller parking spaces and foldable rotors of UH Marine would allow them to be kept easily, sources said.The Navy has more than 150 warships in its fleet and wants them to be equipped with at least one helicopter each and is looking at procuring them through the Make in India route first.

In recent times, the Indian Navy has induced around 16 of these ALH Dhruv Mark 3 choppers along with an equal number of machines for the Indian Coast Guard too. For the Indian Navy also, the HAL has been offering a maritime version of the Dhruv but not much could be done due to the lack of capabilities that have been required by the maritime force for operations.

The Indian Navy warships are deployed all along the Indian Ocean Region and warships are provided with helicopters for reconnaissance and surveillance along with other operations required by the fleet to be carried out.

The force will soon get its first set of the 24 MH-60 Romeo choppers from the US which were contracted for in a Foreign Military Sales deal a couple of years ago to meet the urgent requirements of multirole attack and anti-submarine warfare choppers.

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