State Firm to Provide Support for India’s MQ-9B Drone Engines

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will provide maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) support for the General Atomics MQ-9B drone engines in the country.

The Indian Navy has been operating two MQ-9Bs, leased from the US since 2020. 

The state-run firm will provide the support at its Bengaluru engine division under a contract with General Atomics.

The firm has manufactured and provided MRO support for the TPE 331-5 turboprop engines for 40 years. 

Facility for Turboprop Engines

HAL is also establishing manufacturing facilities for the TPE 331-12B engine, part of the MQ-9B engine family. 

“We are also establishing facilities for manufacturing TPE 331-12B engines for the HTT-40 project,” HAL chairman and managing director C B Ananthakrishnan said. 

“The engine used on the MQ-9B RPAS (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System) belongs to the same family of engines with upgraded configuration to adapt to the RPAS technology.” 

The two firms said they look forward to formulating a “comprehensive engine MRO program for upcoming RPAS projects.”