New Delhi, Feb 13: An aerospace and defence major has joined hands with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at HAL’s accessories complex in Lucknow, according to an official statement.
Once operational, the MRO facility will support all LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mk-1 operating in the Indian Air Force (IAF), it said. LCA is India’s homegrown fighter jet being produced by the Bengaluru-based HAL.
The agreement has been signed between Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, and the HAL. RTX is one of the largest aerospace and defence companies globally.
Collins Aerospace has signed an agreement with HAL to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at HAL accessories complex in Lucknow, the statement said.
The licensing and spares agreement will enable the facility to provide repair and overhaul on electrical power generation systems for India’s indigenous fighter LCA, it added.
The facility will provide repairs and overhaul services for Collins Aerospace’s Integrated Drive Generators and the Generator Control Units that power some of the fighter jets.
“The new MRO facility expands upon our long-standing partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. We are fully committed to in-country, long-term sustainment of India’s warfighter fleet,” Ryan Hudson, the vice president of Aftermarket, Power & Controls at Collins Aerospace, was quoted as saying in the statement.
The facility’s capabilities can be scaled in the future to cater to similar Collins Aerospace systems on other military platforms, it said.
“The establishment of an MRO facility will enhance self-reliance and result in reduced turn-around time in repair and will also enable HAL to provide better customer support for the LCA fleet. This MRO facility is also technically capable of meeting future requirements for new platforms,” said D K Sunil, the chairman and managing director of HAL.
Collins Aerospace has supported the IAF for more than 80 years and has products on various platforms like the indigenous LCA Tejas Mk 1, C17, C295, C130J, P-8I, AH-64E, CH-47F and MH-60R, the statement added.
With an Indian workforce of more than 7,000 employees across Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, RTX has one of the largest presence amongst aerospace and defence firms in India, it said.
According to it, Collins Aerospace is a leader in integrated and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defence industry. (PTI)