American GE Collaborating With India On Jet Engines For Indigenous Fighter Aircrafts

US GE is willing to give India the technology it needs to make its own engines for light combat aircraft LCA Mark2 by 2028. This is because the company doesn’t want to lose a big market in Europe.

“Let’s make sure the GE Engines deal with India goes through so we don’t lose out to Europe,” said U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna. He said that both India and the US need to improve their defense. He said that India wants jet engines, and the first step is to make sure that deal is made before Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes to the US.

On the business side, Air India stated that it would buy the most planes and jet engines ever by an Indian airline. The deal includes 400 single-aisle planes and 70 twin-aisle planes with engines made by GE and CFM International, a company that is a 50/50 partnership between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines. The blockbuster deal, which was near the top of all deals in the world, showed that commercial flight was coming back after years of Covid being closed.

GE also announced deals that will make the company’s investments in India’s defense even bigger. One strengthens GE’s most important relationship with the Indian military: its work with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the government’s aircraft and defense manufacturing company.

HAL still makes the GE F404 family of engines, which have powered each version of the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA), which grew out of that project.

“We need to get better at defense, and now is a very important time to do so. India has figured out that the Soviet Union

The military gear doesn’t work as well as it used to. They know that the Soviet Union is getting closer to

China, and they have been very willing to work with us to build a strong relationship,” Ro Khanna said.

“They want these jet engines, and the first step is to make sure that deal goes through, hopefully before the Prime Minister comes to town. “And many of us are working on that,” he said.

He said this about Prime Minister Modi’s trip to the US: “It’s going to be a historic trip.” He said that they are trying to make sure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can give a speech to the US Congress. He went on to say, “The co-chairs will ask the speaker to send out this invitation.”

Samir Kamat, the head of the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said in February that the LCA Mark2 will have GE-414 engines. He said that talks about the GE are still going on and that India is looking for approval from the US.

Samir Kamat said, “The LCA Mark2 will use the GE-414 engines.” Talks are going on with GE, and they are interested. We’re just waiting for the US government to give us the go-ahead.”

Kamat said that the engines would be made in India as soon as the US government gave its approval. He said that the issue was talked about when National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was in the U.S.

“This was talked about when our NSA, Ajit Doval, was in the US. The US government said they were open to it (engines being made in the US). “I hope that the transfer of technology will be announced in the next three to six months, and that these engines will be made in the country itself,” he said.

Kamat said, “The DRDO is going to make the first tripod-fired very short-range air defense system. Another version that can be shot from the shoulder has also been approved for use by the Army.”

The head of the DRDO said that talks are going on with three defense companies in three countries about making engines for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Mark 2.

“By 2028, the LCA Mark2 should be ready to be used. The first flight of AMCA Phase 1 could happen in seven years, and the introduction could happen in ten years. We can’t say when the AMCA Mark 2 with a new engine will be ready until we sign a deal with another OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) to work on the motor together. “We have been talking to Safran from France, GE from the United States, and Rolls Royce from the United Kingdom,” the head of the DRDO said.