In a significant move to enhance India's indigenous defence capabilities, the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) is partnering with French aerospace giant Safran in a joint venture valued at approximately $7 billion.
This collaboration aims to co-develop and produce a new generation of fighter jet engines to power India’s future combat aircraft, marking a critical step towards self-reliance in advanced military propulsion technology.
The partnership will focus on creating a versatile engine initially capable of producing 120 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust, with a design that allows for future upgrades to over 140 kN.
This project ensures a guaranteed production order of more than 400 engines, a scale intended to make the substantial financial investment commercially viable.
This collaboration follows Safran's selection as the key international partner, reportedly chosen over competitors like the UK's Rolls-Royce due to a more favourable timeline and stronger commitments to a complete transfer of technology.
This new engine is slated to be the heart of India's most ambitious upcoming aerial platforms.
An initial order of 200 units is planned for the Indian Armed Forces, with 120 engines designated for the Indian Air Force's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Mk2 and 80 for the Indian Navy's Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF).
The AMCA is India's fifth-generation stealth fighter program, while the TEDBF is being developed for operations from the Navy's aircraft carriers.
This initial commitment underpins the economic strategy of the project, using economies of scale to manage the extensive costs of research, development, and manufacturing infrastructure.
A key highlight of the agreement is its alignment with India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ policy.
The deal reportedly grants India, through GTRE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), full intellectual property rights (IPR). This provides unrestricted freedom to modify, maintain, and upgrade the engines domestically without foreign oversight, a crucial advantage that addresses shortcomings of past international defence deals.
The engine's long-term value is also significant; with a projected service life of 15 years between major overhauls, the AMCA and TEDBF fleets alone will require an estimated 400 to 600 additional engines throughout their operational lifetime for spares, replacements, and upgrades, fostering a sustainable indigenous manufacturing ecosystem.
The engine's design incorporates advanced features, such as sophisticated cooling systems and a high turbine entry temperature of 2100K, placing it among the world's top-tier propulsion systems.
The built-in scalability is a core part of its design, with future modifications planned to increase thrust beyond 140 kN.
These enhancements are intended to make the engine suitable for a conceptual sixth-generation fighter, capable of supporting future combat technologies like supercruise (supersonic flight without afterburners) and directed-energy weapons.
The versatility of the new powerplant extends beyond manned aircraft. It is being considered for a future large-scale Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV), envisioned as a more advanced successor to the Ghatak UCAV, which is currently powered by a derivative of the less powerful Kaveri engine.
his powerful new engine would enable future Indian drones to achieve greater endurance and carry heavier payloads for long-range stealth missions.
The development timeline is structured to align with India's fighter induction plans. Flight testing of the engine on a demonstrator aircraft, likely a Dassault Rafale, is anticipated around 2028, with series production expected to commence by 2035.
This schedule syncs with the planned induction of the AMCA Mk2 in the mid-2030s and the TEDBF after 2038.
This strategic Indo-French partnership not only mitigates risks associated with past indigenous engine programs but also deepens the defence relationship between the two nations, with potential for the engine to be exported to allied countries in the future.
