HAL bags ₹26,000 cr contract with Defence Ministry for 240 AL-31FP Aero Engines

New Delhi: The Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday signed a ₹26,000-crore contract with Ministry of Defence for 240 aero-engines worth ₹26,000 crore for the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft.

HAL will supply 30 AL-31FP engines every year from its Koraput facility in Odisha, with the delivery being completed in eight years.

The engines will be built in Koraput from raw material stage with transfer of technology from Russia, and only some spares, forgings and castings are expected to be imported. By the time the deliveries are completed, the engines will have an indigenous content of up to 63%, the ministry said.

The Koraput division has thus far manufactured and supplied 113 AL-31FP engines to IAF. HAL estimates that the air force will need around 900 engines through the lifecycle of the Su-30 fleet.

IAF’s Su-30s will also be upgraded by HAL at a cost of around ₹65,000 crore. It will involve equipping the fighters with the indigenous Uttam active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, electronic warfare suites, weapon control systems, avionics and new weapons.

The engine order comes at a time when the State-run firm is grappling with a delay in the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) programme, working towards finalising a deal for joint production of jet engines in the country, and awaiting contracts worth tens of thousands of crores for new fighter planes and helicopters.

(Defence Watch– India’s Defence News centre that places the spotlight on Defence Manufacturing, Defence Technology, Strategy and Military affairs is on Twitter. Follow us here and stay updated.)