GE Aerospace, the US-based aircraft engine supplier, on June 22 announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with India's public defence firm Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The agreement includes the "potential joint production" of F414 engines in India, GE Aerospace said, adding that it "continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this". The effort is part of the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) Mk2 program, a press release issued by the American aerospace company noted.
The signing of the pact, said GE Aerospace, is a "major milestone amidst Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official state visit to the United States".
The agreement with HAL will also advance GE Aerospace’s "earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force as part of the LCA Mk2 program", the company added.
"Our F414 engines are unmatched and will offer important economic and national security benefits for both countries as we help our customers produce the highest quality engines to meet the needs of their military fleet," GE Aerospace's chief executive officer H Lawrence Culp Jr said.
"This is a historic agreement made possible by our longstanding partnership with India and HAL...We are proud to play a role in advancing President Biden and Prime Minister Modi’s vision of closer coordination between the two nations," he added.
Lt General Sanjay Kulkarni (Retd), while commenting on the deal, said it was a "historic" pact and was required for the Tejas fighter jets being used by the IAF. The F414 engines are "advanced, have high-thrust and fuel-efficient", he said, while speaking to news agency ANI.
GE Aerospace has operated in India for more than four decades. In 1986, it began working with India's Aeronautical Development Agency and HAL to support the development of LCA with F404 engines.
The company's F404 and F414 engines are currently part of the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk2 programs. "In total, 75 F404 engines have been delivered and another 99 are on order for LCA Mk1A. Eight F414 engines have been delivered as part of an ongoing development program for LCA Mk2," the release stated.
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