Godrej Enterprises Group’s aerospace business on Friday signed a contract with France’s Safran Aircraft Engines to manufacture critical components for the LEAP engine, developed by CFM International, a 50:50 joint venture between American GE Aerospace and the French manufacturer. The engine powers narrow-body aircraft and has more than 2,000 units on order from Indian airlines.

Under the five-year agreement, Godrej will manufacture titanium-based complex ventilation assemblies for LEAP engines, the company said in an official release.

“The production will involve complex machining, precision welding, and advanced non-destructive testing to meet the stringent standards of civil aviation,” it added.

Godrej Enterprises Group’s aerospace division is also manufacturing six Kaveri Derivative Engines (KDEs) for the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment. The KDE, a non-afterburning turbofan derived from the indigenous Kaveri engine originally designed for the Tejas light combat aircraft, is intended to power India’s unmanned combat aerial vehicles.

Apart from its long-standing partnership with Safran, Godrej Enterprises Group also supplies other global aerospace leaders such as GE, Rolls-Royce, Boeing, and Honeywell.

Remarking on Friday’s agreement, Maneck Behramkamdin, executive vice president and business head of Godrej Enterprises Group’s aerospace business, said: “This contract is a testament to Godrej’s world-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and also a strong endorsement of India’s growing role in the global aerospace ecosystem. By producing such highly complex components right here in India, we are advancing the vision of ‘Make in India, For the World’.”

Dominique Dupuy, senior vice president (purchasing) at Safran Aircraft Engines, said: “By expanding this long-standing partnership with Godrej Enterprises Group, we are supporting the LEAP programme and advancing Safran’s vision of fostering long-term industrial ties with India as a strategic hub in the global aerospace ecosystem.”

At the Aero India trade show in Bengaluru in February, Safran Aircraft Engines also signed a contract with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce forged turbine parts for LEAP engines.

At the time, a Safran release highlighted that India was CFM’s third-largest market by number of engines in service, with 75 per cent of the country’s commercial fleet powered by CFM engines. It further noted that of the 500 CFM-equipped aircraft operated by Indian airlines then, over 370 used LEAP engines, while more than 2,000 additional units were on order for Indian carriers.