Bharat Forge and RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Canadato 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) program
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 program.”
HALE UAVs provide long-endurance surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance across land
and maritime domains.