Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to launch Shakti engine facility works at HAL's Sunabeda plant in Odisha on October 6

Key facts

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lay the foundation stone for new facilities linked to the Shakti engine at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Sunabeda, Koraput district, Odisha, on October 6.
• The Shakti engine programme is a joint Indo-French initiative between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engines to develop and manufacture the Safran Ardiden 1H1 turboshaft engine for India's military requirements.
• Singh is scheduled to reach Sunabeda on Tuesday afternoon after attending programmes at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam, where he will inaugurate upgraded maritime infrastructure and participate in shipbuilding milestones.
• HAL's Koraput division, established in the 1960s, is associated with the manufacture and overhaul of engines for the Sukhoi-30MKI fleet and has evolved from servicing Soviet-origin aircraft engines to modern combat aircraft engines.
• The proposed facilities aim to strengthen India's domestic aero-engine technology capabilities and reduce import dependence.
• Koraput district police, under SP Rohit Verma, have tightened security and sanitised routes across Sunabeda for the minister's visit.