The Author is Former Director General of Information Systems and A Special Forces Veteran, Indian Army

Amid the inordinate delay in the delivery of the F404 aero engine by GE Aerospace which has upset India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas production schedule, D.K. Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has announced that the first F404-IN20 engine, designed to power the upgraded LCA, has been assembled and is currently undergoing rigorous ground testing at GE Aviation's facilities in the US. This advanced F404-IN20 engine is "expected" to be delivered to the HAL next month – March 2025. On receipt, this engine will be integrated into the airframe of the Tejas Mk1A and following initial trials, the aircraft will be handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in April 2025, marking a significant step towards enhancing India's indigenous fighter jet capabilities. But it is yet to be seen whether even this schedule would be kept.

The first F404-IN20 engine, designed to power the upgraded LCA, has been assembled and is currently undergoing rigorous ground testing at GE Aviation's facilities in the US

HAL was earlier scheduled to deliver 16 x LCA Tejas Mk1A to the IAF in 2024. Overall, 83 LCAs were to be delivered to the IAF one year before the delivery schedule of 2028-29. This was to be followed by the delivery of 97 LCA MK1A for the IAF. But this schedule has been badly upset because of the inordinately delayed delivery of aero engines by GE Aerospace. The ironic part is that the delay by GE Aerospace in delivering engines appears deliberate with sanction of the US.

On receipt, this engine will be integrated into the airframe of the Tejas Mk1A and following initial trials, the aircraft will be handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in April 2025, marking a significant step towards enhancing India's indigenous fighter jet capabilities

The Tejas Mk1A (followed by the Tejas Mk2) is the cornerstone of India's efforts to develop a robust domestic defence industry and reduce reliance on foreign supplies; timely delivery of the F404-IN20 engines is crucial for this. According to D.K. Sunil, GE Aerospace has since established new partnerships within their supply chain to optimise production and overcome previous bottlenecks. With the revitalized supply chain, GE Aerospace has assured HAL that issues related to engine spares and components will be effectively addressed. Since timely delivery of these F404-IN20 engines is vital for maintaining momentum of the LCA Tejas program, the IAF/HAL have reportedly decided to place a follow-on order for an additional 120 x F404-IN20 engines, exceeding the quantity 93 in the initial order. Hopefully, there will be no more spokes from the US after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a bilateral meeting with the POTUS Donald Trump on February 13 and the US will be making billions of dollars from exporting oil and gas, F-35 fighter jets and nuclear reactors to India.

The Tejas Mk1A (followed by the Tejas Mk2) is the cornerstone of India's efforts to develop a robust domestic defence industry and reduce reliance on foreign supplies; timely delivery of the F404-IN20 engines is crucial for this

The sordid saga of the 'Kaveri' engine, developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and its first run in 1996 has been covered in these columns earlier. 29 years later, the news now from Aero India 2025 is that the Kaveri Engine Derivative (KDE) inflight trials are to be conducted in Russia later this year; focusing on validating recent upgrades and modifications for use in future indigenous aircraft programmes. According to GTRE officials, extensive testing has been done on the KDE engine, the inflight trials in Russia are crucial for validating the engines operational readiness. The KDE engine generates 49kN dry thrust and is expected to achieve 73-75 kN with an afterburner, which is insufficient for the Tejas Mk1A. According to GTRE officials the KDE engine is primarily to power the 13-tonne Rapid Personal Surveillance Aircraft (RPSA) Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) programme. However, GTRE is also keen to integrate the KDE engine with older Tejas aircraft; allowing GTRE to gather valuable data for developing the Kaveri 2.0 engine that would be suitable for future combat aircraft. There is also news that the indigenous 180hp diesel engine, developed by Coimbatore-based 'Jayem Automative' and unveiled in Aero India 2025, would power the Tapas (Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance) UAV for taxi and in-flight trials.

Safran's offer of joint development of the 110kN engine for 5th generation fighter aircraft and transfer of technology (ToT) is good provided the ToT is 100 per cent

Concurrently, the French company 'Safran' has offered a new 110kN thrust engine for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. This engine will be developed in collaboration with India's GTRE, according to the media reports of February 17, 2025. Officials of Safran confirmed that the 110kN thrust engine is designed from the ground up to meet the specific requirements of the AMCA, and that it will have a completely new core design, distinct from the M88 engines used in the Rafale jets. Notably, Safran has offered India ownership of the engine technology developed through their collaboration, with the goal of providing India with strategic independence in designing, developing, and producing military jet engines for both domestic use and export.

Safran is competing with General Electric (US) and Rolls-Royce (UK) to power India's AMCA. Safran's offer of joint development of the 110kN engine for 5th generation fighter aircraft and transfer of technology (ToT) is good provided the ToT is 100 per cent. India and France are already finalising deals involving Rafale-Marine fighters and Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.