'Fund Kaveri engine' trends as DRDO says jet engine trials for combat drones underway in Russia

The Kaveri is undergoing trials in Russia and there is around 25 hours of testing left to be done on it there.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Tuesday said that it is carrying out trials of the indigenously developed Kaveri jet engine in Russia and is planning to use it for powering the Made in India long range Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle(UCAV).

According to an ANI report quoting defence officials, the Kaveri is undergoing trials in Russia and there is around 25 hours of testing left to be done on it there. The slots have to be given by the authorities there. The interest in the Kaveri engine has been revived as there is an ongoing trend on social media asking the government to #FundKaveri engine project.

The engine is planned to be used for powering the indigenous UCAV project, they said.

The Kaveri engine was planned to be developed by the DRDO for the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft but due to delays in the programme, the combat aircraft had to be powered by the American GE-404 engines.

The GE-404 has been used to power the 32 LCA Mark 1s and the twin seater trainer versions. The 83 LCA Mark 1As are also set to be powered by the GE-404s but the plan has been delayed due to issues in supplies by the American firm.

Asked if the Kaveri engine can still be used for powering the LCA, the officials said to ANI there are plans to put the Kaveri on one of the LCA aircraft and showcase its capabilities.

GTRE is entrusted with the design and development of Kaveri Engine which is low bypass twin spool turbo fan engine of 80 kN thrust class. The engine incorporates flat rated characteristics to mitigate the thrust drop due to high ambient intake temperature and / or high forward speed. Twin lane full authority digital engine control with an adequate manual backup is a salient design feature of Kaveri Engine.