Arun Nayar’s announcement at the inaugural function of three-day technical festival ‘Anokha 2015’

Safran Engineering Services, a French multinational aerospace-component and defence company, plans to go in for a major expansion of its Indian operations if the Dassault Rafale deal to supply 126 aircraft to the Indian Air Force goes through, according to Arun Nayar, Director of the company.

Speaking at the inaugural function of Anokha 2015, a three-day annual National-level student technical festival organised by the Amrita University in Coimbatore from Thursday, he said that the aerospace and defence industry in India would also receive a major boost if the contract materialised.

The firm had already identified land to facilitate its expansion.

The global aerospace industry, he said, was moving towards quieter, greener and fuel-efficient engines.

Safran had tied up with Honeywell to develop EGTS, an electric system that would help aircraft taxi to runways without using its jet engines.

The Hindu is the media partner for Anokha 2015.