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India Safran, a major player in Indian industry

Safran has been present in India for more than 65 years and today has more than 2,000 employees in 17 sites, all working in production, design or services in the aviation, space and defense industries.

Our activities

Aviation

Safran has undertaken to act as a first-class technology partner in the development of the Indian civil and military aeronautics industry, mainly by supplying engines and/or equipment and support services for aircraft and helicopters.

Defense

Safran is a long-standing partner of the Indian Army, and has supplied it with air and land solutions since the 1950s.

Space

Safran provides key Indian government actors and industrials players with high-technology equipment and solutions for testing, telemetry, mission data management and space communications.

75 %
of Indian aircraft and helicopters equipped by Safran
2,000 +
staff in India
1,400 +
helicopter turbines in service in the country's armed forces

Safran in India

Safran in India : 01 minute and 40 seconds
Tack welding of tube for LEAP 1A

Aviation

Safran-HAL, a joint venture between Safran and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru is producing the unit manufacturing components for CM56® and LEAP® engines for CFM International (a 50/50joint venture between Safran Aircraft Engines and GE). The Group is also one of the leading suppliers of wheels and carbon brakes for the commercial Airbus A320 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft used in India. Inaugurated in October 2016 in Goa by M. Manohar Parrikar, Indian Defense Minister, Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt. Limited (HE-MRO) is a joint-venture between Safran and HAL aiming to support local and international operators, including India armed forces.

The M88 military engine developed for the Rafale

Defense

Safran is one of the main contributors to the 36 Rafales acquired by India in 2016. The first fighter aircraft was delivered in October 2019. Group companies produce a large proportion of the systems and equipment, for instance the aircraft’s M88 engine, the power transmission system, the landing gear, the wheels and carbon brakes, the ring laser gyro inertial navigation system, the gyroscopes for the fly-by-wire system, the auxiliary power unit (APU) and all the wiring systems. Safran is in addition managing the project for the Hammer modular air-to-ground weapon (AASM). It is also the primary supplier of inertial navigation systems for Indian combat aircraft. Sigma 95N navigation systems are used in the Sukhoi 30, Tejas, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar and Hawk fighter planes. Over 500 fighter aircraft used by the Indian Air Force and Navy are equipped with inertial navigation systems produced by Safran. It is also the primary supplier of inertial navigation systems for Indian combat aircraft. Sigma 95N navigation systems are used in the Sukhoi 30, Tejas, MiG-27, MiG-29, Jaguar and Hawk fighter planes. Over 500 fighter aircraft used by the Indian Air Force and Navy are equipped with inertial navigation systems produced by Safran. 

 

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) : LCH

The Group is the leading supplier of turbine engines for the helicopters used by the Indian Armed Forces, with more than 1,400 helicopter engines in service. The Shakti/Ardiden 1H1 engine, certified in 2009, is one of the key components in the partnership between the two countries. Co-developed by Safran and HAL, the engine is currently under construction in Bengaluru, badged as Shakti, using components manufactured mainly in India. It was initially selected for the Dhruv helicopter produced by HAL, which is now in service. It will also be used in the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), currently in its final qualification phase. To date, over 350 Shaktis have been made. More recently, the Ardiden 1U engine, derived from the Ardiden 1H1, designed specifically for single-turbine helicopters, was selected for the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), a new and innovative single-turbine multi-function helicopter weighing three tonnes. The first technical flight of the Ardiden 1U in the LUH took place in September 2016 in Bengaluru, and met all its performance objectives. It was certified by Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in 2021.

 

High elevation satellite tracking with an ORION1300 antenna

Space

India is now one of the world’s leading player in Space, with a growing number of exploration programs supported by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), the country’s space agency. Safran takes part into this market through Safran Data Systems, Safran Electronics & Defense subsidiary. Safran Data Systems provides to key Indian government actors and industrials players, high-technology equipment and solutions for testing, telemetry, mission data management and space communications. In 2022, Safran Data Systems decided to strenghthen its local presence and acquired Captronic Systems. With a team of over 120 experts, the entity is specialized in simulation, radiofrequency, digital signal processing, instrumentation and testing. Located in Bangalore, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, they are recognized for their know-how in Earth-space telemetry and communication systems.

Supporting research

To promote the development of increasingly innovative technologies and solutions, Safran has established a number of partnerships with leading Indian scientific and educational institutions. 

The collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi focuses in particular on subjects such as the Internet of Things and processors and parallel processing: topics that relate to current and future challenges. Similarly, Safran is working with all local aviation and space companies on a project to set up an aerospace campus in India.

Infographics

Safran in India

Download Infographics (PDF, 0.85MB)

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