Article Posted on : - Oct 30, 2014

A file photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): French defence major Safran on Wednesday inked agreements with IIT Delhi and Indian Institute of Science to initiate research and development in the field of advanced avionics systems for the development of next generation aerospace technologies.

The agreement with IIT's Foundation for Innovation & Technology Transfer is for the development of an advanced machine learning module for use in aerospace related applications.

The agreement with Society for Innovation & Development of IISc, Bengaluru is for development of an advanced computing platform for use in next generation avionics applications.

"These two agreements are the heart of our technology strategy," said Alain Coutrot, Deputy Director Research & Technology at Safran Group.

Mary Mathew of IISc welcomed the agreement saying that it was a momentous occasion for the institute.

Anil Wali of IIT, Delhi also welcomed the initiative and hoped that the successful culmination of the project will open doors to more ventures in other departments too.

Safran is a leading international high-technology group with three core businesses - Aerospace (propulsion and equipment), Defence and Security.

It has been operating in India for over 60 years.

With more than 2,600 highly skilled employees in the country and business growth of 30 per cent in the last decade, India is home to Safran's largest presence in Asia, Stephane Lauret, CEO of Safran India said.

Over the decades, Safran's activities have evolved to include local partnerships with Indian military aviation industry based on joint developments, production and support licenses for airplane, helicopter (including the Shakti engine for the Dhruv Helicopter) and rocket engines, landing gear, navigation systems, as well as the associated support services.