August 19, 2014: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has revealed that it is developing a new 1000 to 1200 kW turboshaft engine for helicopter applications and plans to use single crystal (SX) blades in the high pressure turbine rotor section of the engine. HAL has not specified which helicopters the new engine is intended for. According to HAL, "The approximate number of blades per engine high pressure rotor is 60. The gas inlet temperature to the blade section is about 1500 K. Blade cooling is not envisaged for this engine, hence, there is no provision made for cooling holes. However, material removal from the tip portion of the blade for a depth of about 10 mm as shown in the drawing may be considered to reduce the weight and stress marginally." Single crystal technology has been one of the chief technologies HAL and the DRDO have been scouting for years in their engine efforts, so far unsuccessfully given its cutting edge nature, and unwillingness by foreign vendors to share. HAL is therefore interested in obtaining the services of vendors for the design, development of necessary tooling and to establish the processes for SX blade and supply the blades to HAL. In the second phase, HAL stipulates that the technology of developed SX processes and tooling have to transferred and established at HAL's Foundry & Forge Division.