The Hindu Business Line : HAL bags Rs 85-cr orders

HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd) has formalised a Rs 85-crore bonanza with four buyers. This includes its first order for the ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), Dhruv.

It has also signed up with the Israel aviation industry to jointly market Dhruv. The copter has Israeli avionics onboard.

These include a $6-million sub-assembly order for Sukhoi 30 MkIs with Russia's Irkutz Aviation and Production Organisation IAPO, another $5-million order for forgings and castings from Rolls-Royce to be fitted on all its Trent engines; and a $1-million deal with Snecma Moteurs also for forgings and castings.

HAL also signed a Rs 25-crore order with Azal Helicopters of Mumbai, which dry-leases and then acquires Dhruv for use at oil rigs.

At the ongoing Aero India 2003, the HAL Chairman, Mr N.R. Mohanty, signed an agreement with the Snecma Chairman and CEO, Mr J.P. Bechat, for a joint venture company to manufacture small aero engines and key components for the global civil aircraft market.

The company will also make turbo chargers for the Railways.

The defence PSU and Turbomeca, a Snecma subsidiary, will also jointly design, develop and manufacture high-power upgrades of the Shakti Ardien engine for the ALH. The engines will be made for high altitudes and higher payloads. HAL will get a 30 per cent offset in the package.

The four agreements signed with the Snecma group also include training for HAL staff at their Paris institute.

On the 100-seater multi-role transport aircraft being developed with Russia, the two partners have decided to go ahead with the cargo version, for which the two countries have sufficient market. The joint steering committee is slated to meet this week to decide the schedule.

"But that does not mean we are closing the door on the civilian version. We will go one step at a time," Mr Mohanty said.

On Wednesday, HAL also got commitment from Air Chief Marshal S. Krishnaswamy for the purchase of 16 IJTs (intermediate jet trainers), which it is developing, and a Rs 300-crore offer for the design and development of the Dhruv copter variant, the LCH. The LCH would be speeded up to have its maiden flight by Aero India 2005.

The order book has been comfortable and exports, which have been inadequate so far as they were from collaborations, will be stepped up. Mr Mohanty said HAL is looking at sales of Rs 3,000 crore and exports of Rs 100 crore this fiscal.

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