HAL, GE Aerospace to begin talks on fighter jet engine production in India: Report

The agreement, first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in June 2023, involves manufacturing GE’s F414 engines in India for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2. (Representative image)

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and US-based General Electric (GE) Aerospace are reportedly set to soon begin commercial negotiations to jointly produce fighter jet engines in India.

The talks are expected to conclude within three months, it has been learnt from an Indian Express report.

The agreement, first announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Washington in June 2023, involves manufacturing GE’s F414 engines in India for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2.

The US Congress cleared the deal last year, paving the way for local production, states the report.

According to the report, GE, under the partnership, has agreed to transfer about 80 percent of engine technology to India, compared to the 58 percent offered in 2012. This will reportedly include 12 key technologies such as thermal coatings, machining of single-crystal turbine blades, and nozzle guide vane production.

Critical areas like the compressor, combustion chamber and turbine are, however, not part of the deal, as per the report. Engine manufacturing is expected to begin within three years of finalising the agreement.

Furthermore, India has chosen French company Safran as its partner to co-develop a next-generation engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is preparing to seek Cabinet approval for the project, which will involve full technology transfer from Safran.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has described the upcoming collaborations as an important step towards self-reliance in critical defence technologies.

Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day address, urged scientists to take up indigenous jet engine development as a mission, drawing comparisons with India’s achievements in vaccine production and digital innovation.