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Snecma tightens India ties
Snecma, like all the other players on the "Rafale Team", is keeping a very close eye on developments in India. And no wonder. The potential contract for 126 Rafale fighters, along with options for a further 63 machines, would constitute the biggest military export success for the French engine-maker in decades. Snecma's close relations with the Indian Air Force (IAF), however, go back much further than the MMRCA call for tenders. The company has supplied maintenance services for the M53-P2 engines on the country's Mirage 2000H/THs since the first aircraft were delivered in the early 1980s. Today the IAF has a fleet of 49 Mirage 2000s.
According to Snecma's Head of military engines, Didier Desnoyer, relations with the Indian MoD and the IAF are constantly progressing towards a state of "full mutual trust". This trend is reflected in a greater degree of transparency and anticipation between the supplier and the customer, ensuring a better understanding of the needs expressed by the IAF. For Desnoyer, the IAF is developing "a strategic vision of its military support".
Greater transparency
The relationship has been tested at times. Early in 2012 two twin-seat Mirage 2000THs crashed within a period of less than two weeks, with the crew ejecting safely in both cases. However, the subsequent, Snecma-led inquiry, far from undermining the relationship, actually enhanced mutual collaboration and encouraged greater transparency between Snecma and its Indian partners. "Events of this kind, undeniably contribute to strengthening our ties with the IAF," comments Desnoyer.
India is looking to co-develop an engine for its future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
Today the IAF has two main maintenance centres for its M53 engines. Gwalior Air Base, home of the Indian Mirage 2000 fleet, is equipped with all the resources needed to peform "operational" maintenance. The base at Kanpur, on the other hand, is dedicated to heavy maintenance activities, along the lines of the French AIA facility. It should be noted that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is not involved in M53 maintenance, unlike the Adour engines (Turbomeca/Rolls-Royce) for the Indian Jaguars.
The Mirage 2000 upgrade programme awarded to Thales in 2012 has no impact on Snecma's work on the aircraft, Desnoyer confirms. The engines are outside the scope of the upgrade programme, and no transfer of production work to local industry is planned.
LCA ... and AMCA
There is another project, however, that could result in high-level cooperation between Snecma and Indian industry, even though the French firm declines to comment on the matter. In 2007, India published a call for tenders for joint development of a 9 tonne engine for the light combat aircraft (LCA) programme. Early in 2010, Snecma was officially selected to participate in the programme; the idea at the time was to develop a slightly more powerful version of the Rafale's M88 engine under the Kaveri K10 project.
This project was subsequently abandoned when India dropped plans to equip the Tejas with an indigenous engine. Nonetheless, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) later tested its locally developed Kaveri K9 in Russia, on an Il-76 flying testbed. India is currently considering development of a K9 derivative, without afterburner, to equip a future UCAV.
However, this is not the end of story. India recently issued a new Request for Information for co-development of a more powerful engine, in the 12-13t class. Presumably this would be used to power the future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a 30t twin-engine design that could enter service next decade. Logically, one would expect Snecma to respond to this RfI, even though, on this occasion, in view of the required thrust class, the technology strategy will probably be different from the Kaveri K10 — despite its substantial growth potential, the Rafale's M88 was not designed to operate in this thrust class.
Snecma tightens India ties - Air&Cosmos
Snecma, like all the other players on the "Rafale Team", is keeping a very close eye on developments in India. And no wonder. The potential contract for 126 Rafale fighters, along with options for a further 63 machines, would constitute the biggest military export success for the French engine-maker in decades. Snecma's close relations with the Indian Air Force (IAF), however, go back much further than the MMRCA call for tenders. The company has supplied maintenance services for the M53-P2 engines on the country's Mirage 2000H/THs since the first aircraft were delivered in the early 1980s. Today the IAF has a fleet of 49 Mirage 2000s.
According to Snecma's Head of military engines, Didier Desnoyer, relations with the Indian MoD and the IAF are constantly progressing towards a state of "full mutual trust". This trend is reflected in a greater degree of transparency and anticipation between the supplier and the customer, ensuring a better understanding of the needs expressed by the IAF. For Desnoyer, the IAF is developing "a strategic vision of its military support".
Greater transparency
The relationship has been tested at times. Early in 2012 two twin-seat Mirage 2000THs crashed within a period of less than two weeks, with the crew ejecting safely in both cases. However, the subsequent, Snecma-led inquiry, far from undermining the relationship, actually enhanced mutual collaboration and encouraged greater transparency between Snecma and its Indian partners. "Events of this kind, undeniably contribute to strengthening our ties with the IAF," comments Desnoyer.
India is looking to co-develop an engine for its future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)
Today the IAF has two main maintenance centres for its M53 engines. Gwalior Air Base, home of the Indian Mirage 2000 fleet, is equipped with all the resources needed to peform "operational" maintenance. The base at Kanpur, on the other hand, is dedicated to heavy maintenance activities, along the lines of the French AIA facility. It should be noted that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is not involved in M53 maintenance, unlike the Adour engines (Turbomeca/Rolls-Royce) for the Indian Jaguars.
The Mirage 2000 upgrade programme awarded to Thales in 2012 has no impact on Snecma's work on the aircraft, Desnoyer confirms. The engines are outside the scope of the upgrade programme, and no transfer of production work to local industry is planned.
LCA ... and AMCA
There is another project, however, that could result in high-level cooperation between Snecma and Indian industry, even though the French firm declines to comment on the matter. In 2007, India published a call for tenders for joint development of a 9 tonne engine for the light combat aircraft (LCA) programme. Early in 2010, Snecma was officially selected to participate in the programme; the idea at the time was to develop a slightly more powerful version of the Rafale's M88 engine under the Kaveri K10 project.
This project was subsequently abandoned when India dropped plans to equip the Tejas with an indigenous engine. Nonetheless, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) later tested its locally developed Kaveri K9 in Russia, on an Il-76 flying testbed. India is currently considering development of a K9 derivative, without afterburner, to equip a future UCAV.
However, this is not the end of story. India recently issued a new Request for Information for co-development of a more powerful engine, in the 12-13t class. Presumably this would be used to power the future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a 30t twin-engine design that could enter service next decade. Logically, one would expect Snecma to respond to this RfI, even though, on this occasion, in view of the required thrust class, the technology strategy will probably be different from the Kaveri K10 — despite its substantial growth potential, the Rafale's M88 was not designed to operate in this thrust class.
Snecma tightens India ties - Air&Cosmos
