GE Commits to Deliver 30 F404 Engines Annually from FY2027–28 to Resolve Tejas Mk1A Production Backlogs

In a major step toward stabilizing India’s premier indigenous fighter programme, GE Aerospace has committed to a significant ramp-up in engine deliveries.

Starting from the 2027–28 financial year (FY), the American aerospace giant will supply 30 F404-IN20 turbofan engines annually to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

This move is specifically designed to clear the production backlogs of the Tejas Mk1A light combat aircraft and ensure a consistent manufacturing rhythm.

Overcoming Supply Chain Obstacles​

HAL has recently faced a difficult period characterized by delays in the rollout of the Tejas Mk1A.

These setbacks were largely attributed to a global shortage of jet engines, which hindered the final assembly of completed airframes.

The new delivery schedule aims to alleviate this pressure, allowing HAL to fulfill its delivery commitments to the Indian Air Force (IAF) more predictably.

The engine shortage was primarily a result of post-pandemic industrial disruptions.

Factors such as labor shortages at GE’s facilities and bottlenecks in the global aerospace supply chain created a ripple effect, impacting several international defence and commercial aviation projects.

For HAL, this meant that while many fighter airframes were structurally complete, they remained grounded awaiting powerplants.

Scale of Procurement​

The volume of engines required for the Tejas programme has grown substantially as the IAF expands its fleet:

• 2021 Order: HAL initially contracted GE for 99 engines to power the first batch of 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft.
• 2025 Order: An additional agreement for 113 engines was finalized to support a follow-on order of 97 more aircraft, bringing the total expected Mk1A fleet to 180 units.

Specialized Technology for Indian Conditions​

The Tejas Mk1A is powered by the GE F404-IN20, the most potent variant in the F404 engine family.

Unlike standard versions used globally, the IN20 is custom-engineered to meet India's unique operational requirements:

• Enhanced Thrust: It generates approximately 84.5 kN (19,000 lbf) of thrust with afterburner, providing superior performance compared to earlier iterations.
• Environmental Resilience: The engine is built to withstand India’s "hot and humid" climate and dusty environments, which typically cause a drop in performance in less specialized hardware.
• Advanced Control: It features a Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC) system, which automates engine performance optimization and simplifies pilot workload.

To meet the increased demand, GE has integrated higher levels of automation into its testing phases and established dedicated production lines to ensure the high-thrust IN20 variants are prioritized.

Strategic Outlook and Maintenance​

Additional open-source reports indicate that the cooperation between GE and India is moving beyond mere procurement.

To support the long-term sustainability of the fleet, GE is reportedly planning to establish a dedicated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in India.

With the total inventory of F404 engines in India projected to exceed 270 units, localizing maintenance will significantly reduce the "turnaround time" for repairs and lower the overall lifecycle costs for the IAF.

This industrial roadmap, combined with the commitment to 30 engines per year, is expected to restore the Tejas programme's momentum and help the IAF address its critical fighter squadron shortage by 2030.

 

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[ronin-desi]

Bottle neck is not GE as dilution of Quality certification completion being compromised by IAF to accept half baked turds from HAL to save them embarrassment.

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.​

So stop blaming others! its mediocre HAL. HAL failed to live up to promise they made and farted everywhere loud and clear out of their bound and means. Min of Def intervened and requested dilution of terms and conditions to accept substandard product, missing radar, weapons and some certifications.

 

[Madan]

Ek ne kahi doosre ne mani, dono gyani. GE said, HAL agrees. HAL says , DM agrees. DM says, IAF agrees. All are wise. Only Indians are fools who believe in them. GE will supply in FY 27-28 not this year. Then it will be FY 28-29 and so on. Shame on them. If these people are incapable of doing it, let them surrender and get out of the project. What the hell IAF is going to do jets without weopons. They are putting the country in security risk. Such people need to be kicked out at the earliest.

 

[ronin-desi]

Well As of early February 2026, GE Aerospace has delivered six F404-IN20 jet engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Tejas Mk1A fighter aircraft program.

HAL not able to deliver even single aircraft if GE was bottleneck as of Mar 2026

 

[Raghupati Singh]

March month is due for 5 more 404 engines. Let's see.
GE has no any present plan.
I think they again making us fool

 

[joyboy]

Another ambitious timeline by our greats.

 

[Virochana]

March month is due for 5 more 404 engines. Let's see.
GE has no any present plan.
I think they again making us fool

Actually we are requesting GE to make a fool of us. To begin their engines is inferior we should be looking at engines like Saturn from Russia instead of dated tech from thd western Imperialist "waning powers". Ti makd matters worse we have to beg God tech transfer, etc. All this while ignoring the best engines and equipment from Russia. Perhaps there are no fringe benefits with quality products. May good sense prevail. Jai Hind!

 

[Virochana]

Ek ne kahi doosre ne mani, dono gyani. GE said, HAL agrees. HAL says , DM agrees. DM says, IAF agrees. All are wise. Only Indians are fools who believe in them. GE will supply in FY 27-28 not this year. Then it will be FY 28-29 and so on. Shame on them. If these people are incapable of doing it, let them surrender and get out of the project. What the hell IAF is going to do jets without weopons. They are putting the country in security risk. Such people need to be kicked out at the earliest.

Good analysis.! It is not HAL that should be out. Bug the people and policies that make it inefficient. If we observe carefully .None oc thd countries who depend on private companies for defence have a working model of hypersonic missiles. The four countries that have them are PSU powered. PERHAPS HAL and Defence Ministry itself need some restructuring. Jai Hind.

 

[Pankajrai]

Every time GE is changing the timeline of delivery of f404 engine and and giving us a new commitment related to the delivery of engines .Now it's become very difficult to trust the American company and we need to develop our own indigenous platform Kaveri .