Bharat Forge and RTX's Pratt & Whitney Canada to explore turboprop engines for India's indigenous HALE UAV programme

Bharat Forge Ltd. and Pratt & Whitney Canada today announced that they will work together to evaluate the integration of advanced turboprop engines into a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programme designed and developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business.

The collaboration supports India's indigenous unmanned aerial systems efforts under the government's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Pratt & Whitney Canada will evaluate engine compatibility, performance and installation requirements. Bharat Forge will lead engine-airframe integration, including installation design and systems interfaces, drawing on its advanced engineering, manufacturing and aerospace systems capabilities.

"Bharat Forge Aerospace business is proud to collaborate with Pratt & Whitney Canada to advance India's indigenous aerospace and defense manufacturing capabilities," said Amit Kalyani, Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director, Bharat Forge Ltd. "By combining Pratt & Whitney's globally proven propulsion technologies with Bharat Forge's engineering and systems integration expertise, we aim to support development of a world-class HALE platform that strengthens India's strategic self-reliance and defense preparedness."

"This collaboration with Bharat Forge reflects our continued commitment to supporting India's aerospace and defense ambitions," said Ashish Saraf, Vice President and Country Head, Pratt & Whitney. "Pratt & Whitney Canada's turboprop engines have a proven legacy of reliability in demanding operational environments, which is exactly what's needed for India's HALE programme."

HALE UAVs provide long-endurance surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance across land and maritime domains.