On June 24, 2023, the American Defence Giant General Electric aerospace arm announced that it has teamed up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) to make engines for the fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The announcement comes after the meeting between PM Narendra Modi meeting with General Electric Chairman Lawrence Culp Jr in Washington. After the meeting ended, the PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) tweeted photographs of Modi with the GE chief.
The tweet reads: PM Narendra Modi held productive discussions with the CEO of General Electric, Lawrence Culp Jr. They discussed GE Greater Technology collaborations to promote manufacturing in India.”
A statement released by GE Aerospace said that its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is “a major milestone” amid the Prime Minister’s visit to the US and a “key element in strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries.”
As per the statement, the signed agreement includes the potential of GE Aerospace F-414 engines in India. “GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive necessary export authorization for this. The effort is a part of the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft Mark-II program.”
The GE Chief (Lawrence Culp Jr) termed the pact “historic.” This is a historic agreement made possible by our long-standing partnership with India and the HAL, he said.
“We are proud to play a role in advancing President Biden and PM Narendra Modi’s vision of closer coordination between the two nations. Our F-414 engines are unmatched and will offer important economic and national security benefits for both countries as we help our customers produce the highest quality engines to meet the needs of their military fleet,” he said.
The GE F-414 engine will be going to power the latest avatar of India’s fighter Tejas Mark-II. The Air Force has a long-standing relationship with the GE as it is the Tejas current variant is powered by F-404 engines.
However, the big question is to what extent the US will allow the Transfer of Technology (ToT) under this defence agreement, especially with the single crystal aerofoil technology that enables fighter jet engines to operate at very high temperatures and stay fuel efficient. In any case, this is the most significant defence agreement for India.
The agreement, GE Aerospace statement said, will advance its earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the Light Combat Aircraft Mark-II programme.
The Tejas Mark-II is an upgraded version of the LCA Tejas developed in India. It can carry beyond visual range missiles and is a replacement for the Jaguar, MiG-29, and Mirage 2000 aircraft. The manufacturing has begun and is expected to roll out by the year 2024. It also has a mission endurance of 120 minutes.
As per GE Aerospace, the F-414 engines have clocked more than five million flight hours. “to date, more than 1600 F-414 engines have been delivered globally,” it said. The American defence company has operated in India for more than four decades (forty years) with wide-ranging engagements that range across engines, avionics, engineering, manufacturing and local sourcing, the statement said.
The GE F-414 engine is a turbofan engine used by the US Navy for over thirty years. It is equipped with a dual channel-full authority digital engine control, a six-stage high compressor, a highly advanced pressure turbine and a fueldraulic system for nozzle area control.
The US-India deal is important as manufacturing engines for combat aircraft requires advanced technology and metallurgy which only the US, UK, France, and Russia possess. India is not a part of this domain. The countries that have the technology to manufacture such engines for fighter aircraft are often, traditionally, unwilling to share them.
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