DRY Kaveri Engine Advances with New Focus on Thrust and Performance

India's Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) continues to make significant strides in the development of the indigenous Kaveri engine. With testing of the DRY Kaveri engine scheduled and Initial Flight Release Certification targeted for later this year, the project enters a pivotal stage.

Innovations and Advancements​

The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) is receiving newly manufactured modules, signaling the production of the first entirely new DRY Kaveri engine. This marks a departure from previous efforts, which relied on modifying older Kaveri engines for technological demonstration purposes.

A key element of the project's advancement is the development of a new afterburner. This afterburner will be tested on LCA-Tejas Prototype aircraft, a crucial step in securing limited flight clearance and enabling further development.

GTRE's strategic roadmap includes plans to propose additional funding to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for a formal, sustained restart of the Kaveri program.

Performance in Challenging Conditions​

The DRY Kaveri engine, when fitted with a new afterburner, is projected to produce an impressive thrust output exceeding 80kN. This positions it as a strong contender to replace the F-404 engine currently used in the LCA-Tejas MkIA fighter.

Importantly, the Kaveri engine is specifically designed to perform optimally in India's unique environmental conditions, including the prevalent hot and humid climate.

Unlike the F-404 engine, which can lose approximately 10% of its thrust output in hot and humid environments, the Kaveri engine is engineered to maintain thrust levels under these challenging conditions. This ensures consistent performance even during maximum takeoff weight operations.

Resilience and Versatility​

The incorporation of flat-rated characteristics into the Kaveri engine design further increases its resilience against variations in ambient temperature and high-speed flight conditions.

The engine has demonstrated a reliable dry thrust exceeding 49kN, highlighting its potential for real-world operational scenarios.

Beyond its applications for conventional fighter aircraft, the DRY Kaveri engine is a promising powerplant for the upcoming Remotely Piloted Strike Vehicle (RPSV).

With a potential afterburner-equipped thrust output of 80-82kN, the Kaveri engine could propel India's next generation of advanced combat aircraft.

 

[Sandeep]

The Kaveri which in the past has demonstrated serious issues in delivering flat thrust suddenly is so good that it will deliver performance without any loss of thrust? Gimme a break! It's almost impossible to build a jet engine that can deliver 100% thrust across all flight envelop. Even the adaptive cycle engines under development don't promise to deliver absolute thrust.

Besides, given the shoddy track record of the troubled project, it's difficult to trust GTRE. Thus as I said will believe it when they produce and demonstrate results in actual engine performance. Till then take whatever GTRE says or promises with a truck full of salt.

Your absolutely incorrect and knowledge is lacking. If the Kaveri engine has passed all of its test and certified to deliver 50kn of thrust how is that a failure?

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

I'm afraid your information is incorrect. Currently the Kaveri Marine engine is still going through the testing phase and it hasn't been tested on a boat out at sea. So there was no burial at sea at all.

Oh it will underrgo testing eternally, just won't clear it in its original form. It needed serious redesign of some critical components and sub systems which seems to be in the process of being implemented in prototype produced by Godrej. The one produced by Godrej has made several modifications and that's what is being tested.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

I know that work is going on by HAL, alomg with DRDO for a marine gas turbine engine, it must be related to kaveri, and uses the teachings of it.

As for the failure of kaveri for marine engine usage, it is u derstandable that it failed after all you can put an engine designed for fighter jets in a ship and expect it to perform great. It was more for research in my opinion.

Not quite they were at one point of time seriously pushing for the failed Kaveri jet engine to be reporposed ad a Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine engine and even Navy was actually considering it. Had it performed well, idea was to salvage the project by repurposing it as marine engine to power small fast attack crafts and missile boats. However, as fate would have it it flunked at delivering flat rated output at even sea level.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

Your absolutely incorrect and knowledge is lacking. If the Kaveri engine has passed all of its test and certified to deliver 50kn of thrust how is that a failure?

It's certified tn dry thrust format only and is not cleared for anything but applications on UAV. Moreover it's clearance is preliminary and provisional so as to commence testing on board UAV.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

China and US have hot and humid conditions available within their borders. Maybe you should pick up an Atlas

Nothing like India. The type of climate variation that India presents is one of kind. There is just way too much tempreature variation that will definitely put stress on engine far more than what would have been normally possible.This thing was attested by Lockheed themselves after their F16 suffered flameout during MRCA trials.

 

[Varaaah]

If the govt can grab all the illegal begotten wealth of the P. Chidambaran clan, then the development of this engine can be funded easily.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Not quite they were at one point of time seriously pushing for the failed Kaveri jet engine to be reporposed ad a Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine engine and even Navy was actually considering it. Had it performed well, idea was to salvage the project by repurposing it as marine engine to power small fast attack crafts and missile boats. However, as fate would have it it flunked at delivering flat rated output at even sea level.

The project is not dead, they gained experience and work is probably on to repurpose it. Can you tell me other jet enjines like GE-414 etc can be interchangebly used as a marine gas turbine

 

[kumar]

Many people don't understand, how much effort is required in developing jet engine and going about giving gyan that kaveri engine is a failure. They don't even know the present status of kaveri engine and obviously, the comparative difference between kaveri engine and f404 engine technology level.

 

[Pink Panther]

very Good news I was always saying after Fine Tunning kaveri may produce 85 to 90 kN Thrust . so Indian Tech is far better than foreign Tech where it does not loose its Thrust against Foreign Engine which tends to loose 10%.

If this engine is not good enough for Tejas we can fit two of these engines and make ORCA, still 10KN more powerful than SNECMA M-88, for people who talk about thrust to wait ratio, ORCA could also be made much lighter with composites and titanium just like Rafale., we have expertise in both Composites and Titanium.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

The project is not dead, they gained experience and work is probably on to repurpose it. Can you tell me other jet enjines like GE-414 etc can be interchangebly used as a marine gas turbine

The Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine Engine is as much alive as the TAPAS drone. Though officially still under development both, have been deprioritized by government. That's almost as good as killing the project.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

The project is not dead, they gained experience and work is probably on to repurpose it. Can you tell me other jet enjines like GE-414 etc can be interchangebly used as a marine gas turbine

Nope they cant. Though jet engines and gas turbines are functionally similar, there is a huge difference in its pressure rating. The compressor spool on a jet engine has much higher tolerances while gas turbine does not need to take such pressure.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

I know that work is going on by HAL, alomg with DRDO for a marine gas turbine engine, it must be related to kaveri, and uses the teachings of it.

As for the failure of kaveri for marine engine usage, it is u derstandable that it failed after all you can put an engine designed for fighter jets in a ship and expect it to perform great. It was more for research in my opinion.

Work is indeed going on, but its bereft of Kaveri influence and is a clean sheet attempt. Till the time Kaveri demonstrates a capability to sufficiently deliver flat rated performance across its entire operation envelop, its not going to go any where near a manned platform. Neither a manned fighter nor a manned naval vessel.

 

[desigandu]

why not 85-90 with afterburners in Kaveri-2s, so we can use them for Tejas Mk1 and 1A engine replacements...

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Nope they cant. Though jet engines and gas turbines are functionally similar, there is a huge difference in its pressure rating. The compressor spool on a jet engine has much higher tolerances while gas turbine does not need to take such pressure.

So why are you blaming Kaveri for not performing well in marine trials? They just wanted to experiment and collect data.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

So why are you blaming Kaveri for not performing well in marine trials? They just wanted to experiment and collect data.

Except they did not offer it as an experiment. They were seriously pitching for the conversion of Kaveri for marine engine applications to salvage the project. However, it failed even at sea level after persistently Navy which mind u is fairly amicable to trying out indigenous systems also lost interest as it just failed to comply with performance specifications.

I distinctly remember back then also there was a flurry of news items every now and then on the possibility of conversion of Kaveri for marine gas turbine applications. They kept creating a PR promotion campaign, and when it suddenly flunked it all returned to radio silence, hoping everybody would forget it and it can be buried without raising uncomfortable questions.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

I have to agree with you here. You have consistently on multiple occassions made objective and pragmatic assertions, without the usual delusions of grandeur which is so rampant on this site. Brutal honesty and unflinching pragmatism I find is alien to most of my fellow citizens even more so amongst our administrative/policy making class.

This site has suddenly turned into a fanboy site, that just keeps chattering. What they forget is that problem-solving starts with identifying that you have a problem in the first place. Several people on this forum have a problem of "No Problem" and think everything is fine and hunky dory just because we are developing.

I believe analyze any situation we need to dispassionately look at the issue, honestly in the most pragmatic manner, without pushing glaring issues under the carpet. Just because it makes us uncomfortable, we can't close our eyes and hope issues will vanish. Till structural issues with DRDO/GTRE functioning are sorted, I don't foresee any major change in its performance unfortunately. Mind u even I want India to build its indigenous defense industry, but the way DRDO/GTRE/HAL functions, that wont happen any time soon.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Except they did not offer it as an experiment. They were seriously pitching for the conversion of Kaveri for marine engine applications to salvage the project. However, it failed even at sea level after persistently Navy which mind u is fairly amicable to trying out indigenous systems also lost interest as it just failed to comply with performance specifications.

I distinctly remember back then also there was a flurry of news items every now and then on the possibility of conversion of Kaveri for marine gas turbine applications. They kept creating a PR promotion campaign, and when it suddenly flunked it all returned to radio silence, hoping everybody would forget it and it can be buried without raising uncomfortable questions.

You are arguing semantics. I am sure HAL, DRDO, Navy, Air force DoD knew that it was research experiment. Media generally hypes up these things and we as public get riled up over it.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

So why are you blaming Kaveri for not performing well in marine trials? They just wanted to experiment and collect data.

They did notboffer it authentic reason I am blaming Kaveri and by extension GTRE is because, they ought to have known that you don't just take jet engine and deploy otbas a gas turbine engine. There are some modifications required to compressor spool and ignition chamber among other things. Without doing homework, without solving structural issues, they took a half baked engine with an equally half baked business proposal which by the way was not an Experiment.