UK or France? Cabinet waits for DRDO on combat aircraft engine

Both the companies have offered to collaborate with DRDO’s Bengaluru-based Gas Turbine Research Establishment lab and provide full ToT and IPR, the government official said. A Cabinet note will be floated for this soon and the process has been initiated by the DRDO, the official said.

As India works to bolster its domestic defence manufacturing capacity, delays in engine supplies by GE to the Tejas aircraft due to supply-side issues, have led to a realisation that engine technology is a big constraining factor for the Indian defence forces.

Amid efforts to develop aircraft engines indigenously, both Rolls-Royce and Safran have agreed to co-develop a new engine for AMCA, a twin-engine 5.5-generation stealth fighter.

This comes months after the Indian Navy issued a project sanction order for the design and development of a 6 MW-medium speed marine diesel engine with Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. The prototype diesel engine with indigenous content of over 50 per cent will be developed at a cost of Rs 270 crore with 70 per cent funding from the Centre.

The developed engines will be used for main propulsion and power generation on ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. Most of the diesel engines of higher capacity were being imported from foreign equipment manufacturers so far.

“Very few Indian companies actually own engine technology. For aircraft, ships or even automobiles, we still don’t entirely own the engine technology. The engines are getting designed abroad. The Kirloskar project (marine engines) will start the process of achieving self-reliance in marine engine development in the country. We are keen to do the same in aircraft engines,” the official said.

The delays in delivery of the F404-IN20 engine by GE Aerospace to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A fighter jet were attributed to problems faced by the American company in reviving its downstream supply chains, immediately after the Covid pandemic.

“The Tejas engine delays were caused by supply chain issues faced by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer GE Aerospace). There is a need to have greater control of the engine procurement. As was done in the case of marine engines (with Kirloskar), the idea is to develop a local supply base for aircraft engines and we will do everything to develop an ecosystem here,” the official said.

The RFI (request for information) has been issued by Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and preliminary rounds of discussion with prospective players have been held.

The new engine for the AMCA, with a thrust class of 110-130 kN, is crucial for the aircraft’s capabilities like supercruise and stealth optimisation. It is targeting a first flight by 2029-2030 and induction by 2035. Initial AMCA prototypes and the first production batch (Mk1) will use imported GE F414 engines. The more powerful locally-produced engines are being planned for the AMCA Mk2 variant.

Rolls-Royce’s proposal involves developing a range of high-thrust turbofan engines for potential use in transport and civilian aircraft while Safran’s proposal entails a prototype derived from its Rafale fighter’s M88 engine family. Safran, which has a base here, also proposes to leverage its offset obligations from the Rafale deal and potentially boost the indigenous Kaveri engine programme.

Alongside its AMCA push, the government is also examining proposals from Russia (Su-57) and the US (F-35) for procuring a batch of fifth generation aircraft as a short-term measure to meet the Indian Air Force’s immediate needs, particularly in light of Pakistan procuring J-10C and newer fifth-gen fighters from China.

The problems with the American offer for the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft include invasive end-use monitoring clauses and interoperability issues with India’s traditional French and Russian fleet that comprise Su-30MKIs, Rafales, Mirage 200s and the indigenous Tejas Mk1A.

There is also renewed focus on mid-air refuellers and Airborne Early Warning and Control Systems or AWACS, with RFIs being initiated by the Ministry of Defence for both these categories of equipment, officials said.