India, Oct. 6 -- Defence minister Rajnath Singh will on Tuesday inaugurate a second production line for Shakti engines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Koraput facility in Odisha, aimed at meeting the growing engine requirements of indigenous helicopters, including the Dhruv advanced light helicopter and Prachand light combat helicopter.

HAL currently produces 80 Ardiden 1H1 Shakti engines annually at its Bengaluru facility, and the new production line will raise its annual capacity to 180 engines, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday. The Shakti engine was co-developed with French aerospace major Safran. The second production line represents an investment of Rs.218 crore.

On Tuesday, HAL's Koraput engine division will also d...