MRF Lands OE Deal with Military Aircraft Manufacturer

MRF, the first Indian tyre manufacturer to produce aviation tyres for military aircraft, has secured an order from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of Asia’s largest aerospace companies. The initial supply contract, reports the Financial Chronicle, is for some 400 to 500 tyres for HAL’s Chetak multi-purpose helicopter. India’s defence authorities have also reportedly asked the company to develop tyres for other types of military aircraft.

The helicopter tyres, sold under the Aero Muscle brand name, are produced at the MRF factory in Arakonam, near Chennai. Production will later be transferred to the company’s Medak factory, where more than Rs 1,200,000,000 (£163.4 million) in investments to create a separate aviation tyre assembly line is planned.

According to a document published by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation, MRF tyres have initially been approved for a ten-year operational lifespan and five-year storage lifespan.