8 hrs ago
HAL Koraput Delivers 2,000th Engine, Adds Shakti Line
HAL Koraput is a factory in Odisha that makes and repairs aircraft engines.
It has now delivered its 2,000th engine.
The government also announced money for a second production line for Shakti helicopter engines.
When ready, that line is expected to make up to 100 engines a year.
These engines are used in the Dhruv and Prachand helicopters.
HAL is also increasing production of engines for Su-30MKI fighter jets.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India should make more of the materials and technology needed for engines at home.
The goal is to help India rely less on outside suppliers and support its armed forces.
HAL Koraput delivered its 2,000th aero-engine on October 6, 2026, marking six decades of production at the division established in 1964.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced a Rs 218-crore second Shakti engine production line at Koraput, expected to be fully operational by 2028–29.
The new line is planned to produce up to 100 Shakti engines annually for the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter and Prachand Light Combat Helicopter.
HAL has delivered 63 AL-31FP engines for the Su-30MKI against a target of 60 by the end of the second year, and plans to raise annual capacity from 30 to 50.
Singh linked the expansions to greater aerospace self-reliance, including domestic materials, high-thrust engine development and an indigenous testing facility.
- Who
- HAL Koraput and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh; Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi also attended.
- What
- HAL Koraput delivered its 2,000th aero-engine, and Singh announced a Rs 218-crore second Shakti engine production line.
- Where
- HAL Koraput Division in Odisha, at Sunabeda.
- When
- October 6, 2026; the Shakti line is expected to be fully operational by 2028–29.
- Why
- The expansion is intended to increase engine availability for indigenous helicopters and support India’s aerospace and defence self-reliance.
Expansion and self-reliance
Capacity and delivery challenges
Domestic engine capability
Expansion and self-reliance
Rajnath Singh said the second Shakti line, domestic raw materials and work on high-thrust engines will strengthen India’s self-reliant aerospace capability.
Capacity and delivery challenges
The articles do not present an opposing policy position; they note that global supply-chain disruptions and raw-material challenges affected engine production.
Odisha’s defence manufacturing role
Expansion and self-reliance
Mohan Charan Majhi described Odisha’s growing industrial ecosystem as a basis for further defence manufacturing and urged the Centre to establish another defence unit in the state.
Capacity and delivery challenges
No explicit opposing view on the proposal for another defence unit is reported.
Key facts
- Milestone
- 2,000th aero-engine delivered by HAL Koraput
- Division established
- 1964
- Shakti line investment
- Rs 218 crore
- New line capacity
- Up to 100 Shakti engines annually
- Target operating period
- Fully operational by 2028–29
- Engine overhauls
- More than 9,000
- AL-31FP capacity plan
- Increase from 30 to 50 engines per year, with an additional Rs 335 crore investment
Quotes
Rajnath Singh
India’s Defence Minister
“available when needed, supported throughout their lifecycle and upgraded with evolving technology”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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