GE Plans Dedicated F404 Engine MRO Facility in India to Support IAF's Expanding Tejas Fleet

In a significant boost to India’s indigenous fighter programme, US aerospace major GE Aviation is reportedly finalising plans to establish a dedicated Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility within the country.

This facility will specifically service the GE F404-IN20 engines that power the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) growing fleet of Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

The strategic move comes at a critical juncture as the IAF prepares to induct a substantial number of new Tejas fighters, and the earliest operational aircraft in the fleet approach their first major maintenance cycles.

Scaling Support for a Growing Fleet​

The decision to set up local sustainment capabilities is driven by the rapid expansion of the F404-powered ecosystem in India.

The engines, currently delivered off-the-shelf, have seen a surge in procurement to meet the IAF's modernisation needs.

Beyond the initial batches of more than 75 engines and a 2021 order for 99 units, India has placed fresh orders for 113 additional F404-IN20 engines. These will power the 97 Tejas Mk1A fighters recently approved for acquisition.

With these combined contracts, the total inventory of F404 engines in service and reserve is projected to surpass 270 units. This volume makes a domestic overhaul capability not just a logistical convenience, but an operational and economic necessity.

Recent reports indicate that GE has committed to accelerating deliveries, with 24 engines expected in the 2026–27 fiscal year, scaling up to 30 annually thereafter. As this influx reaches the IAF, the demand for timely maintenance will rise sharply.

‘On-Condition’ Maintenance Philosophy​

The F404-IN20 variant introduces a modern maintenance approach that departs from traditional rigid schedules.

Unlike older engines that require overhaul after a fixed number of years, the F404 operates on an "on-condition" basis. This concept is designed to maximise aircraft availability by mandating repairs only when specific wear or performance indicators are met.

Field data and accelerated mission testing have validated the engine's robustness, showing it can operate for the equivalent of 1,000 flying hours without requiring major intervention.

On average, the engine necessitates fewer than two shop visits per 1,000 flight hours, a statistic that underscores its reliability in high-tempo operations.

Predictive Health Monitoring​

A key enabler of this efficiency is the engine's advanced In-Flight Engine Condition Monitoring System.

This technology tracks the health of critical components in real-time, allowing ground crews to detect potential malfunctions before they result in failure.

For the IAF, which operates across a vast spectrum of environments, this predictive capability is a force multiplier.

It allows maintainers to plan interventions proactively, thereby reducing unplanned engine removals and ensuring high sortie generation rates—a critical metric for combat readiness.

Shift to Domestic Sustainment​

As the first batch of Tejas Mk1 fighters enters service windows requiring full MRO intervention over the next two to three years, discussions between GE Aviation, the IAF, and Indian industry partners are reportedly gaining momentum.

The aim is to appoint an Indian entity—likely Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) or a private defence firm—to execute complete overhaul services domestically.

Transitioning MRO work to an in-country facility offers multiple strategic advantages. It would significantly reduce the turnaround time for repairs, eliminate the complex logistics of shipping engines abroad, and lower lifecycle costs.

Furthermore, the F404-IN20 is designed with a low Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), a feature essential for sustaining operations in India's diverse geography, ranging from the humid coastal air stations to the high-altitude bases in Ladakh.

If concluded, this agreement would represent a deepening of the aerospace partnership between India and the US.

Beyond immediate support for the Tejas programme, a local MRO ecosystem aligns with the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, fostering critical skills and infrastructure within the domestic defence aviation sector.

 

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[Vivek_Singh]

Grab the opportunity, while officially GE has moved on from F404 and had to reopen the line for Tejas mk1a, India should offer them MRO facility so that Tejas mk1a variant can be sold to other potential buyers like Thailand, Vietnam, Armenia, Indonesia etc with the home made F404 engine.

This will ensure that F404 engine assembly line can remain active for few more years, which will help us perform the midlife upgrades of Tejas mk1a.

 

[nisheethjaiswal]

This is an intelligent move by GE, USA. The demand for Tejas MK 1A will be more than 300 Aircraft for Indian Airforce in near future.
Tejas MK1A being a very light and capable Aircraft,4.5 Generation, with highly capable avionics & very good Armaments, highly capable EW system & with a very small cross section visible on radar, will have good demand for many Airforce around the world. This Aircraft can be like an Indian MIG 21, whose demand exceeded more than 600 for different Airforce.
GE, USA should start their full assembly of F404 Engines along with MRO in India itself. This will enable them to make these Engines cost effective also, & HAL will have full reliability on GE for uninterrupted supply of these Engines.

 

[binubodo19]

Instead of buying 100+Rafael's india could have ordered its engines and fit it in Tejas. Even though Tejas is customised to fit American f404 engines DRDO &HAL could have made adjustment for fitting Rafael Engines. This way cost of purchasing Rafael would have been much lesser and we could have better utilised the saved money. USA will always keep dilly dallying the f404 and by the time Tejas fulfill its ordered aircrafts it will be useless with so much change of technology in the neighborhood and around the globe.

 

[KVS]

Why not request them to open an exclusive assembly line here, as the engine requirement for both for making Tejas and for replacement during the entire life of Tejas aircrafts will span up to three decades. One more benefit for us will be strengthening our aero industry!🙂

 

[Vivek_Singh]

Instead of buying 100+Rafael's india could have ordered its engines and fit it in Tejas. Even though Tejas is customised to fit American f404 engines DRDO &HAL could have made adjustment for fitting Rafael Engines. This way cost of purchasing Rafael would have been much lesser and we could have better utilised the saved money. USA will always keep dilly dallying the f404 and by the time Tejas fulfill its ordered aircrafts it will be useless with so much change of technology in the neighborhood and around the globe.

Your thoughts are noble, however this is HAL we are talking about.
So many delays in Kaveri engine, and they couldnt come up with a proposal to create a twin engine Tejas variant powered by Kaveri.

Plus Tejas mk1 and 1a are light combat aircrafts, they cant carry much fuel or missiles with large payloads, Rafale is more comparable to Tejas mk2 which is still not under production.

HAL was the primary reason why MRFA deal of 126 Rafales didn't happen, and IAF is operating under dangerously low operating strength as now Mig21s are retired and Jaguars are moving towards retirement in next 5 years.

 

[Muthu.Kumar]

This is not boost or horlicks or complan. GE is shutting down F-404 for good since it's outdated and countries advance to the advanced engines. So it's only cost effective to set up the MRO facility only in India which is one of the very few biggest customers.

 

[Ammoman]

GE is setting up a facility because it is a great way to charge a lot more money and prevent local companies to do the overhaul of the engines.