HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines have signed the final contract with their joint venture, SAFHAL, to develop and produce the Aravalli helicopter engine. Safran says the engine is in the 3,500–4,000 shaft-horsepower (shp) class and is intended for India’s 13-ton Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and its naval Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH) variant. The contract launches development and production; Safran has not announced a delivery, certification, or operational-service date.
What the HAL–Safran contract covers
The August 26, 2026 agreement is between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Safran Helicopter Engines, and SAFHAL, their joint venture. Safran says SAFHAL is contracted for the Aravalli engine’s design, development, manufacture, supply, and lifecycle support. The power class Safran gives for Aravalli is 3,500–4,000 shp. These are programme specifications in the company announcement, not independently verified test results. Safran’s final-contract announcement
Signing the final contract marks a move from partner agreement and selection into contracted development and production. It does not establish that a completed engine has been delivered, certified, or put into service.
Which helicopters Aravalli is intended to power
Safran identifies two intended applications: the 13-ton Indian Multi-Role Helicopter, or IMRH, and its naval Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter, or DBMRH variant. The 13-ton description comes from Safran’s 2023 workshare announcement. Safran’s 2026 release also describes medium-lift rotorcraft platforms for India and global markets as the broader intended market; it does not name additional aircraft programmes.
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How the partnership reached the Aravalli contract
| Date | Milestone | What Safran specified |
|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2022 | Safran announced an agreement between Safran Helicopter Engines and HAL to create a joint venture for developing helicopter engines. | The announcement described a new-generation helicopter-engine partnership, not the later final Aravalli contract. Safran’s 2022 announcement |
| February 15, 2023 | The partners reported a workshare agreement for an engine for the IMRH and its naval DBMRH variant. | Safran said activities within the joint venture would have an equivalent repartition. It did not publish a detailed division of engineering or manufacturing tasks. Safran’s 2023 workshare update |
| August 30, 2024 | HAL selected SAFHAL to develop and produce Aravalli engines for the IMRH and DBMRH. | This was the selection announcement; Safran reported the final contract in 2026. Safran’s 2024 selection announcement |
| August 26, 2026 | HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines signed the final contract with SAFHAL, launching Aravalli development and production. | Safran named the 3,500–4,000 shp class and the design, development, manufacture, supply, and lifecycle-support scope in this announcement. |
What is known about each partner’s role
Safran’s 2023 release says the joint-venture activities have an “equivalent repartition.” That describes the broad workshare arrangement, but the public announcement does not itemize which partner is responsible for particular engineering, manufacturing, or support tasks. It also does not specify an intellectual-property allocation.
In the 2022 announcement, Franck Saudo, then CEO of Safran Helicopter Engines, said: “The creation of this new joint venture marks a turning point in our relationship with HAL and the Indian MoD with the development and production of a new generation of helicopter engine.” This was Saudo’s characterization in a Safran company press release.
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What is not yet specified
Safran’s August 26, 2026 announcement establishes that the final contract was signed and that development and production were launched. It does not state a delivery schedule, certification date, or entry-into-service date. The announcement also gives no programme price. Without those details, the contract milestone should not be treated as evidence that Aravalli is ready for aircraft installation or operational use.
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