Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) today inked a contract with GE Aviation for development and supply of ring forgings for GE Aviation military and commercial engine programs. The five-year contract valued over INR 100 crores (USD 15 M), involves supplying both steel and nickel alloy forgings for shrouds, cases, rings and seals.
With this contract award, GE Aviation has initiated the development of a raw material supply chain in India. The award of contract followed HAL’s successful bidding in GE’s Global request for quotes (RFQ).
The ring forgings will be manufactured at HAL’s newly established, state-of-the-art ring rolling facility at the Company’s Foundry and Forge Division in Bengaluru. The division has, after a rigorous audit process, obtained GE Aviation approvals for its quality system and special processes.
HAL also signed an MoU with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) for development and production of composite raw materials. This is the first time that such an MoU has been signed for composite raw materials. There is no equivalent proven Indian approved supplier for various types of Prepregs, like Carbon, Aramid, Glass types etc., for the Aircraft applications. This creates dependency on foreign OEMs, which is likely to continue in future indigenous programs. Composites raw materials, mainly in the form of Prepregs used in platforms like LCA, ALH, LCH and LUH are currently imported.
The usage of composites in the Aerospace is going to exist and increase, particularly for fighter Aircrafts and Helicopter because of its inherent advantages over metallic raw materials. In addition, similar requirement exists for other Aerospace and Defense programs, including those of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO), and National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).