In order to further promote the “Made in India” initiative, the country’s Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to supply RD-33 engines for MiG-29 fighters. This is reported in a press release of the defence ministry.
The contract is worth Rs 5,249.72 crore or about $634 million. The engines will be manufactured by HAL’s engine manufacturing unit at Koraput in southeast India.
The RD-33s manufactured at Koraput will fulfil the Indian Air Force’s need to keep the MiG-29 fleet operational for the remaining service life. The production will be organised under a technology transfer licence from the Russian original equipment manufacturer. The programme is aimed at localising some critical components, which will help increase the share of products from Indian companies in addressing RD-33 maintenance and overhaul tasks.
In February 2021, at the Aero India international aerospace exhibition, it was reported that licences for the production of AL-31FP and RD-33 series 3 engines were transferred to HAL. The Indian side was also provided with technical assistance in organising the overhaul of these engines, which is carried out at the corporation’s facilities.
At the same time, as part of the Russian-Indian military-industrial conference, United Engine Corporation discussed with representatives of the Indian industry the possibility of localising after-sales service of aircraft engines for the Indian Air Force.
