HAL signed a long-term contract with Safran Aircraft Engines (SAE), the world's leading Aircraft engine maker for supply of turbine forged parts for their LEAP engines during Aero India 2025 here today. An MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) was signed between the two companies in October 2023, to develop industrial cooperation with commercial engine parts manufacturing, as part of the Indian Government's “Make in India” policy. This is the first contract as part of this Industrial co-operation. Under the terms of this contract, HAL will produce forged parts for LEAP Engine at its state-of-the-art Ring Rolling facility at Foundry & Forge Division in Bengaluru, supporting LEAP program's ramp-up for global airline requirements. The Contract is signed by Anil Kumar, General Manager, Foundry & Forge Division of HAL in presence of Jayakrishnan S, CEO (Bangalore Complex), HAL and Dominique Dupuy, Purchasing VP of Safran Aircraft Engines. “Safran and HAL are having a long-standing relationship enriched over the past few decades through the joint development of the “Shakti” helicopter engine, which also paved the way for co-design and co-development of the IMRH engine. We are delighted to take this collaboration to the next level and support their LEAP engine production with critical Nickel Ring forgings”, said Dr. D K Sunil, Chairman & Managing Director, HAL. "We are very enthusiastic about continuing this partnership with HAL," said Dominique Dupuy, Safran Aircraft Engines' Purchasing VP. "We are perfectly in line with the objectives set out in our 2023 agreement for the production of forged parts". India is CFM's third largest market in terms of the number of engines in service, with 75% of the Indian commercial fleet equipped with CFM engines. Today, of the 500 aircraft operated by 7 Indian airlines with CFM engines, over 370 are LEAP-powered, and over 2,000 engines on order are for Indian airlines. Safran Aircraft Engines is strengthening its foot print in India with five production units and the sixth unit dedicated to LEAP engine maintenance is planned at Hyderabad.