Safran to set up MRO facility for Rafale fighter jet engine in Hyderabad

Safran Aircraft Engines will set up a new MRO facility in Hyderabad for Rafale's M88 engines. This will be the first M88 module maintenance facility outside France, supporting Indian Air Force and other export customers.

New Delhi: French aerospace major Safran aircraft engines will be establishing a new Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad for fighter jets Rafale’s M88 engines.

Announcing the development, Safran Group said that the Hyderabad facility will be the first one to maintain M88 modules out of France. It will “mark a key milestone in our commitment to supporting M88 export customers, especially the Indian Air Force (IAF).

“We are delighted to select Hyderabad location as the first export maintenance facility dedicated to the M88,” said Christophe Bruneau, Executive Vice President, Military Engines at Safran Aircraft Engines.

He also said: “This project marks an important step in the development of Indian sovereignty in aerospace and defense, while demonstrating our commitment to developing a world-class MRO ecosystem for the benefit of all M88 operators.”

The French major also said that the brand-new shop will have a capacity of over 600 modules per year and will generate up to 150 jobs by 2040 and “will help meet the strong growth of M88 maintenance activities worldwide.”

It further added that the new workshop will also benefit from synergies with other Safran production facilities and MRO workshops located in the region, “in line with our commitment to develop a comprehensive commercial and military supply chain in India for aircraft engines.”

Few days back, leading private sector company Tata Advanced Systems and French defence giant Dassault Aviation inked a deal to manufacture the Rafale fighter jet fuselage in the same city, Hyderabad and expected that the production will begin from 2028.