Bharat Forge Ltd secured a long-term contract on 5 October 2026 from Pratt and Whitney Canada for the supply of mission-critical aerospace engine components. The Pune-based company will manufacture the parts locally at its advanced aerospace facility in India. The deal strengthens India’s position in the global jet engine supply chain and deepens sourcing from India by a leading global engine maker.
What Is Bharat Forge and What Does It Make?
Bharat Forge Ltd is a Pune-based private engineering and manufacturing company and the flagship firm of the Kalyani Group. The company supplies high performance forged and precision machined parts for automotive, aerospace, defence, rail, marine, energy and industrial uses, including aero engine parts, artillery systems and armoured vehicles.
Bharat Forge Ltd was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Mundhwa, Pune, Maharashtra. Baba N. Kalyani is the Chairman and Managing Director, while Amit Kalyani is the Vice Chairman and Joint Managing Director. The company is not a public sector undertaking (PSU) or a government company. It is a listed private company and part of the Kalyani Group, a diversified group with manufacturing operations across India, Germany, Sweden, France and North America.
Bharat Forge started as an auto components forging company. Forging is a process in which heated metal is pressed or hammered into strong shapes. Over six decades, Bharat Forge has used that metallurgy base to move into high value sectors. Its defence business is housed in the wholly owned subsidiary Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), while its aerospace work is led by the Bharat Forge Aerospace Division.
| Fact about Bharat Forge | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Pune, Maharashtra |
| Parent group | Kalyani Group |
| Leadership | Baba N. Kalyani (Chairman and Managing Director) |
| Core strength | Forging, precision machining, metallurgy, testing and validation |
| Key aerospace products | Compressor discs and blades, turbine parts, shafts, discs, forged rings, landing gear parts, structural parts |
| Key certifications | AS9100 Rev D, NADCAP, ISO 9001, approvals from Boeing, Rolls Royce, Honeywell and HAL |
What Does the Pratt and Whitney Canada Contract Cover?
Bharat Forge Ltd disclosed the long-term supply contract on 5 October 2026 to the BSE and NSE under Regulation 30 of the SEBI Listing Regulations. The contract covers the supply of mission-critical aerospace engine components. These are high value parts that must meet strict standards for strength, heat resistance, precision and traceability, as a failure inside an aircraft engine can have serious safety effects.
Bharat Forge said the agreement confirms its position as a trusted global aerospace partner. Pratt and Whitney Canada said the tie-up supports its plan to build a resilient and high performing global supply chain and to strengthen sourcing from India. Pratt and Whitney Canada expressed confidence in Bharat Forge’s technical excellence and quality systems for its niche requirements.
The October 2026 contract is the third step in a fast growing relationship. Bharat Forge and Pratt and Whitney Canada have announced two earlier collaborations since July 2025. On 15 September 2026, the two companies agreed to evaluate the integration of advanced turboprop engines into India’s High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle programme. A turboprop engine is an aircraft engine that uses a turbine to drive a propeller. HALE refers to drones that fly at high altitude for very long hours for surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance.
Where Will the Engine Components Be Made?
Bharat Forge will manufacture the Pratt and Whitney Canada components at its state of the art aerospace facility in India. The facility was developed specifically for high performance and high value aero engine products. It combines advanced forging presses, five axis machining centres and NADCAP certified heat treatment units. NADCAP is a global audit programme for special aerospace processes such as heat treatment and non destructive testing.
The Bharat Forge Aerospace Division operates a full stack portfolio across three streams. These are aero engine parts, airframe structures and landing gear sub systems for civil and military aircraft. The company makes compressor discs, blades, turbine impellers, shafts, discs, forged rings and casings. It also produces landing gear parts and structural elements.
Two recent milestones show the scale of this base. On 11 March 2026, Bharat Forge inaugurated a Landing Gear Components Machining Facility at Mundhwa, Pune, in collaboration with Liebherr-Aerospace and Transportation SAS of France. The unit gave Bharat Forge OEM approved landing gear machining capability at scale, a first for an Indian company at that level. OEM means original equipment manufacturer, the company that designs the final aircraft or system. Bharat Forge is also setting up an advanced aerospace ring mill in India to produce high value forged rings for aero engine programmes.
Bharat Forge has also built design strength in Bengaluru. The Gas Turbine and Technology Development Centre in Bengaluru works on small jet engines in the 40 to 200 kgf thrust range. In January 2023, the centre tested an indigenously developed 45 kgf thrust engine called Kalyani Gas Turbine 45. Bharat Forge says it is the first private company in India to develop critical hot zone parts for aero engines, such as afterburners and cold flaps, using nickel and cobalt based superalloys.
Who Are Pratt and Whitney Canada and RTX Corporation?
Pratt and Whitney Canada is a world renowned aircraft engine maker headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada. The company designs, manufactures and services engines for regional, business, general aviation and helicopter platforms, including the widely used PT6, PW100 and PW500 engine families.
Pratt and Whitney Canada is a business of RTX Corporation, a large American aerospace and defence group listed on the New York Stock Exchange as RTX. RTX was formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corporation. RTX operates through three businesses, which are Collins Aerospace, Pratt and Whitney and Raytheon. Pratt and Whitney itself traces its roots to 1925 in East Hartford, Connecticut in the United States.
The Longueuil site is Pratt and Whitney Canada’s global headquarters and largest manufacturing facility. The 1.23 million square foot plant employs more than 4,400 people and produces parts for all of its engine families. In July 2026, Pratt and Whitney Canada announced a 275 million Canadian dollar investment to add automated lines, modern machinery and digital processes at Longueuil. The scale of that base explains why a long-term sourcing contract in India is significant. It links Indian manufacturing directly to established global engine programmes.
Why the Deal Matters for Aerospace Manufacturing in India
Bharat Forge’s contract fits a wider shift in aerospace manufacturing towards India. Global engine and aircraft makers are increasing procurement from India to reduce supply chain risk and to use India’s engineering and precision manufacturing base. The change is structural, not temporary, and it is supported by the government’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives. Aatmanirbhar Bharat means self reliant India, a policy push to build critical goods domestically and cut import dependence.
The scale of sourcing already underway is large. Boeing sources more than $1.3 billion worth of components and services from India each year through over 375 suppliers, with about 70 percent for manufacturing. Airbus sources more than €1 billion each year from India. GE Aerospace, which spent $200 million on its India supply chain in 2025, plans to raise that figure to $400 million by 2030. Rolls Royce has said it plans to double sourcing from India within five years. Industry estimates say India now accounts for about 1 percent of the global aerospace supply chain, with potential to reach 10 percent within a decade as the global market moves towards $250 billion annually by 2033.
| Global aerospace buyer | Sourcing footprint in India |
|---|---|
| Boeing | Over $1.3 billion yearly from 375 plus suppliers, Bengaluru technology campus |
| Airbus | Over €1 billion yearly, parts in every commercial aircraft |
| GE Aerospace | $200 million in 2025, target $400 million by 2030, Pune plant plus 13 partner facilities |
| Rolls Royce | Plan to double sourcing in five years, approvals link to Indian suppliers including Bharat Forge |
For Bharat Forge, aerospace adds a high growth leg to a business long known for automotive forgings. The company completed 60 years of manufacturing operations in July 2026 and reported a market capitalisation of ₹80,061 crore as on 31 March 2026. Its defence order pipeline stood at ₹10,961 crore in FY2026, supported by the contract for 255,000 close quarter battle carbines for the Indian Army, orders for Advanced Towed Artillery Gun Systems and a ₹2,550 million order for underwater systems for the Indian Navy.
The Pratt and Whitney Canada work also connects to indigenous defence aviation. Under the September 2026 understanding, Bharat Forge will lead engine airframe integration for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) designed HALE platform, while Pratt and Whitney Canada will assess engine compatibility and performance. DRDO, established in 1958 and headquartered in New Delhi, is India’s main military research agency. Success in that programme would support long endurance surveillance across land and sea and reduce dependence on leased platforms.
Key Takeaways
- Bharat Forge Ltd signed a long-term contract on 5 October 2026 with Pratt and Whitney Canada for mission-critical aerospace engine components.
- The components will be made at Bharat Forge’s advanced aerospace facility in India built for high performance aero engine products.
- Bharat Forge, founded in 1961 and headquartered in Pune, is the flagship company of the Kalyani Group and is a private company, not a PSU.
- Pratt and Whitney Canada is headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec, and is a business of RTX Corporation of the United States.
- On 15 September 2026, Bharat Forge and Pratt and Whitney Canada agreed to evaluate turboprop engines for the DRDO designed HALE UAV programme under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
