HAL to boost AL-31FP engine production at Koraput

State-owned aerospace company ahead of delivery schedule for Russian-designed powerplant.
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) will speed up production of Saturn AL-31FP engines, under a 2024 order for 240 additional engines, to power Indian air force Sukhoi Su-30MKIs.

The company is ahead of its delivery schedule, having delivered 63 engines by the end of the second year of the contract, which was signed in September 2024, compared with the 60 originally planned, according to defence minister Rajnath Singh.

Singh notes that HAL’s Koraput Division was able to meet delivery plans despite supply chain and raw material challenges. In October 2024 HAL said that the workshare of Indian industry in the Russian-designed engine has grown to 50%, although the original contract called for 54% local workshare.

Singh made the remarks at HAL’s Koraput Division, where he witnessed the delivery of the unit’s 2,000th aeroengine – an AL-31FP.

New Delhi has plans to upgrade about 84 Su-30MKIs, a type that is likely to remain in Indian air force service until the middle of the century.

Following an investment of INR3.4 billion ($37 million) HAL will be able to produce 50 AL-31FPs annually compared with 30 now.

Singh also announced that a second line will be set up at Koraput to produce HAL/Safran Shakti-1H1 turboshafts. Indigenous types such as the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter and Prachand Light Combat helicopter are powered by two Shakti engines.

The new line will produce 100 Shakti turboshafts annually and be “fully established” by 2028-29.

Noting that aircraft engines are a key technology for a country to be self-reliant, Singh said that an investment of INR50 billion has been proposed with local firm Mishra Dhatu Nigam. This could lead to the local procurement of raw materials and the establishment of India’s first indigenous high-thrust engine testing facility.

This, he says, will ultimately contribute to the indigenous engine that will one day power the developmental AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft) stealth fighter.

Singh adds that in addition to producing engines, Koraput serves as a key node in India’s aerospace sector, supporting both a supplier network and providing critical engine MRO capabilities.

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