'Made in India' engines to power LCA Tejas Mk2 and AMCA? HAL, GE Aerospace to ink deal for joint production

State-run aerospace and defence major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will sign a deal with  US-based jet and turboprop engines maker GE Aerospace in March, to jointly produce F-414 engines in India. These engines will power the Mark 2 variant of the  Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas and the initial prototypes of fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

 

The plan to jointly produce the F-414 engines in India was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington DC in 2023. 

 

HAL, in 2021, had signed a $716 million deal with the company for 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines for LCA Tejas. The fighter jet is currently powered by the GE-404 engine. 

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HAL Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Sunil told news agency PTI that negotiations with the US firm on the transfer of technologies (ToT) for the engines were concluded and both sides are now focusing on the commercial aspects of the project.

 

"We are now discussing the ToT principles. (We will have) 80 per cent transfer of technology. Those discussions are more or less over...Now we will be getting into the commercials. So, in this financial year, we should be able to conclude this deal."

 

The Tejas Mark 2 variant is expected to be a much more potent fighter jet, featuring a more powerful engine, superior electronic warfare system and an array of advanced avionics.

 

The F-414 project under the ToT framework is crucial for LCA Tejas as well as the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project.

Defence