Wednesday, Aug 17, 2005
India, Russia ink $350m aircraft engine agreement
Vladimir Radyuhin
HAL chief signs pact in Putin's presence
[NEW HIGH: Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) looks on as the head of Rosoboronexport, Sergei Chemezov (right), and Hindustan Aeronatics Limited's CEO Ashok Baweja, sign an agreement in Zhukovski outside Moscow, on Tuesday. — Photo: AP]
MOSCOW: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. has signed a contract with the Russian state arms export company Rosoboronexport for licence production of a Russian engine for Indian jet trainers.
The $350-million deal provides for the manufacture in India of 250 Al-55I engines and an option for subsequent production of another 1000 engines. The engines will power India's intermediate single-engine jet trainer HJT-36 and its newest twin-engine version HJT-39.
The contract was signed by HAL Chairman, Ashok K. Baweja, and Rosoboronexport Director-General Sergey Chemezov on Tuesday at the Moscow International Aerospace Show MAKS-2005 in the presence of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who inaugurated the show at Zhukovsky airfield outside the Russian capital.
HAL is participating in Russia's biannual air show for the first time. Its stall displays models of the HJT-39, the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) and the Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv).
The Russian engine, developed by the NPO Saturn Company, won an Indian Air Force tender for the HJT jet trainers. They have the thrust power of 1760 kg, as against 1400 kg for the French-built Larzac engines that currently power the HJT-36.
The contract marks a new high in Indo-Russian defence cooperation as it is for the first time that a warplane engine has been specially designed for the IAF, deputy head and chief designer of NPO Saturn Alexander Sarkisov told The Hindu .
Under the contract NPO Saturn is to complete the development and testing of the Al-55I engine within 23 months and supply the first three engines to the IAF. The technology will be transferred in stages.
The Al-55I engine is the first in a new family of powerful compact engines with a thrust of upto 5,000 kg, Mr. Sarkisov said, adding that the new engines will be in service for the next 30 to 50 years.
Copyright © 2005, The Hindu.