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Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed the final contract with their joint venture, SAFHAL Helicopter Engines Pvt Ltd, to develop and manufacture the Aravalli, a new-generation, high-power helicopter engine.
The significance of the agreement goes beyond the engine itself. The Aravalli has been selected to power the 13-tonne Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and its naval variant, the Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH).
Both are twin-engine helicopters, meaning the Aravalli will need to be developed, integrated and tested before either platform can enter operational service. Its development schedule will therefore have a direct bearing on the timelines of the two helicopter programmes.
What is the Aravalli engine?
The Aravalli is a new-generation turboshaft engine being developed for medium-lift helicopters in the 3,500-4,000 shaft-horsepower class.
The IMRH is being developed by HAL for the Indian Air Force and the Army and is intended to eventually replace the IAF’s ageing fleet of Russian-origin Mi-17 helicopters. The Aravalli will also power the DBMRH being developed for the Indian Navy.
The contract covers the engine’s complete product cycle, from design and development to manufacture, supply and lifecycle support.
SAFHAL will bring together the design, manufacturing, testing and product-support capabilities of HAL and Safran. The programme will cover advanced design methods, manufacturing processes, comprehensive testing and product support, with the aim of developing propulsion technology focused on performance, reliability, maintainability and operational effectiveness.
The partnership also has implications for India’s aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The lifecycle-support component of the programme is expected to help develop indigenous maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities.
There could also be applications beyond military helicopters. HAL and Safran see potential for the Aravalli to power future civil medium-lift helicopters, including those used for transporting personnel and equipment to offshore installations, utility operations involving passenger or cargo movement, and VVIP transport.
How the HAL-Safran partnership got here
The latest agreement is the culmination of four years of work between HAL and Safran.
The companies signed an MoU on July 8, 2022, to establish a joint venture for the development, production, sale and support of helicopter engines. A workshare agreement for joint development of the engine followed on February 15, 2023.
On August 30, 2024, HAL and SAFHAL signed an airframer contract covering the joint design, development, manufacture, supply and support of the engine, which was subsequently named Aravalli.
The final contract, signed on August 26, 2026, now brings HAL, Safran Helicopter Engines and SAFHAL together to launch the engine’s development and production programme.
The Aravalli is also the latest addition to a broader HAL-Safran partnership that began with Artouste engines powering the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters and later expanded to the Shakti engine family, which powers the Advanced Light Helicopter, Light Combat Helicopter and Light Utility Helicopter.
What HAL and Safran said
The contract was signed by Ajay Kumar Shrivastava, Director, Engineering, Research & Development, HAL, and Olivier Savin, Director, SAFHAL Helicopter Engines and Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Safran Helicopter Engines. HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ravi K and Safran Helicopter Engines CEO Cédric Goubet presided over the ceremony.
“The signing of this contract marks a significant step forward in India’s pursuit of self-reliance in aero-engine technologies,” Ravi K said.
He added that the programme would create a foundation for powering next-generation Indian helicopter platforms while contributing to the development of a stronger domestic aerospace industrial ecosystem.
Goubet said the programme represented a new chapter in the India-France strategic relationship and would combine the expertise of the two companies to develop propulsion systems for future Indian rotorcraft.
“This is the first time Safran Helicopter Engines has taken up such a class of engine as co-development,” Goubet said.
For HAL, the Aravalli programme therefore sits at the intersection of two objectives: providing a critical powerplant for its next-generation helicopter platforms while building greater domestic capability in aerospace propulsion and lifecycle support.
