French aerospace company Safran has announced thes it will establish a new maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad, focused on servicing M88 engines that power Dassault’s Rafale fighter aircraft. This move comes as India prepares to expand its Rafale fleet with the Indian Navy’s induction of the marine version, Rafale M, starting in 2028.

The MRO facility will be managed by a newly formed entity, Safran Aircraft Engine Services India, and will cater to both the Indian Air Force’s existing Rafales and the upcoming 26 Rafale Ms procured under an intergovernmental agreement signed on 28 April, 2025. Deliveries are scheduled between 2028 and 2030. The Telangana government revealed that the initial phase of the MRO project will create approx. 150 employment opportunities by the end of 2025, with potential expansion generating up to 750 more positions in subsequent phases.

Safran’s General Manager Pierre Fernandez, in a meeting with Telangana IT & Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, confirmed that the Hyderabad facility will also support LEAP engine MRO services. Hyderabad is rapidly emerging as a defence manufacturing hub, with Tata Advanced Systems and Dassault Aviation already collaborating to produce Rafale fuselages in the city.