GTRE Showcases Afterburner-Equipped Kaveri Engine, Aiming to Achieve 80 kN Thrust to Replace F404 in Tejas Jets

India's long-standing ambition to develop its own fighter jet engine has taken a significant step forward. The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a key laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has for the first time publicly displayed a new variant of its Kaveri engine fitted with an afterburner.

This development is a critical milestone for India's self-reliance in defence manufacturing and could eventually power key aircraft like the HAL Tejas fighter and the future Ghatak combat drone.

The engine, known as the Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE), is an evolution of the original Kaveri project, which began in the late 1980s.

In its "dry" or non-afterburning form, the engine was designed for unmanned aerial vehicles and successfully produced a thrust of 49-52 kilonewtons (kN), surpassing its initial goals.

The crucial addition of an afterburner—a component that injects fuel directly into the engine's hot exhaust for a powerful burst of speed during combat or takeoff—is expected to increase its output to a range of 73 to 80 kN.

This new thrust capability places the engine in the same performance category as the American General Electric F404-IN20 engine, which currently powers India's Tejas Mk1A jets and generates 78.7 kN of thrust.

By showcasing the engine with its intricate nozzle, hot section, and complex wiring, GTRE is signalling strong confidence in its design progress.

The afterburner module is built with advanced materials designed to handle extreme temperatures, reflecting dedicated research aimed at overcoming historical challenges that affected the original Kaveri program, such as compressor performance and thermal management.

Promise and Challenges on the Path to Self-Reliance​

Despite the promising potential, the engine faces a rigorous path to prove its combat readiness. While it could theoretically replace imported engines in the Tejas fleet, its performance must be consistently demonstrated in real-world flight conditions.

According to recent updates, the engine requires further flight trials to validate its capabilities fully.

The project's success also depends on overcoming hurdles related to technical complexity and industrial capacity, areas where the original Kaveri program faced delays.

To accelerate this final phase, India has been exploring international collaborations, notably with French engine-maker Safran, to co-develop a production-ready engine.

The current plan involves testing the new Kaveri engine on a Tejas prototype within the next two years, but scaling up for mass production for the Indian Air Force's large fleet of Tejas Mk1A jets remains a significant industrial challenge.

If successful, the afterburner-equipped Kaveri engine would be a landmark achievement for India’s strategic autonomy. It would significantly reduce the country's dependence on foreign nations for one of the most critical pieces of military hardware, a key goal of the Atmanirbhar Bharat policy.

A fully operational, Indian-made engine would not only power the current Tejas Mk1A but also pave the way for an even more powerful 90 kN variant in the future, boosting the domestic defence industry and potentially opening export markets for a completely indigenous fighter jet.

 

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[sanket]

Private players have proven themselves to be unreliable because of no bid from their side to produce the AMCA. They say they are happy being 'screwdriver crew' tier 1 suppliers for HAL because it's low risk, high reward.

The government has a very lenient policy towards drones made by the private sector, but all those drones are just assembled in India, dependent entirely on foreign engines. Even DRDO is reliant on foreign engines. It's pathetic that a country as large as ours, with a large automobile and aeronautical manufacturing base, can't make a simple, efficient drone engine or a capable indigenous drone.

As for the Chinese disinterest in the Su-57, it's very natural, considering they had the J-20 long before Russia was flying the Su-57. The J-35 is a similar platform, and they are moving forward to the 6th gen. China already surpassed Russia in aeronautics. The Chinese never had access to the real Su-57, just the prototypes, just like us.

 

[swatkats_razor]

If this has progressed to an advanced stage, ADA should consider starting tests for KDE to integrate with Tejas Mk-1A immediately, without wasting a moment now.

 

[swatkats_razor]

Private players have proven themselves to be unreliable because of no bid from their side to produce the AMCA. They say they are happy being 'screwdriver crew' tier 1 suppliers for HAL because it's low risk, high reward.

The government has a very lenient policy towards drones made by the private sector, but all those drones are just assembled in India, dependent entirely on foreign engines. Even DRDO is reliant on foreign engines. It's pathetic that a country as large as ours, with a large automobile and aeronautical manufacturing base, can't make a simple, efficient drone engine or a capable indigenous drone.

As for the Chinese disinterest in the Su-57, it's very natural, considering they had the J-20 long before Russia was flying the Su-57. The J-35 is a similar platform, and they are moving forward to the 6th gen. China already surpassed Russia in aeronautics. The Chinese never had access to the real Su-57, just the prototypes, just like us.

I still feel this is a proof-of-concept, and kudos to the GTRE team to have arrived so far. But the crucial question here is the stability of the setup. Longevity of the engine and MTBO; these parameters will make or break prospects of integration with Tejas.

 

[sanket]

I still feel this is a proof-of-concept, and kudos to the GTRE team to have arrived so far. But the crucial question here is the stability of the setup. Longevity of the engine and MTBO; these parameters will make or break prospects of integration with Tejas.

Unless and until it is tested with one of the LSPs, and the data collected from that is used for further improvement, I have already said that using BrahMos Aerospace, ISRO, and MIDHANI experience/expertise or with further R&D in developing a lightweight material which can withstand high temp, will improve the performance. After integrating, if it gives stable thrust, then it will give a further boost. The first target is how much thrust is generated with the afterburner, and the second is the reduction of the weight of the engine. The most important thing is that I am ready to wait for rigorous trials of summer, winter, rainy, and moon whatever it follows, but all trials should be done.

 

[Mithu Roy]

We should continue to invest in and develop this engine even when we have a collaboration with Safran. Learnings from the collaboration can be immediately incorporated to enhance its performance.

 

[Mc Addy]

Go ahead, make our day.goodluck

 

[Bks98]

India is collaborating with Russia on a significant fighter jet engine deal for its next-generation UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles), focusing on the development of a twin-engine configuration based on the AL-55I, with a targeted output of 30-35 kN thrust per engine for 10-15 ton UCAVs. This agreement emphasizes technology transfer and aims for 70-80% localization at HAL's Koraput facility. The project includes ambitious goals, such as prototypes by 2027 and UCAV integration by 2029, supporting India's strategic unmanned programmes. It means Kaveri won't be used for future UCAV.

 

[Sunny]

The Kaveri engine is heavier than the F404, so 80kn of thrust, if achieved, will not give the same thrust-to-weight ratio. We should look to develop an 85–90kn thrust engine or explore the M88 TREX, which is expected to have around 90kn of thrust and can equip our Rafale and Tejas Mk1 variants.

 

[P.K Senapati]

Happy to know that KDE has a new variant with an Afterburner module that has been put to the test.

If it can demonstrate 80+ kN thrust with an afterburner, then it is a fit for Tejas Mk1.

After that, improve the thrust to 90 kN and reduce the weight to make Kaveri 2 for Tejas Mk2.

Try for an Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) India rather than depending on any unreliable partner.

 

[Mayank393]

I think it's old photo of kaveri with afterburner not new one @alphadefence confirmed this

 

[kinzelle]

They have been claiming its almost ready since last 3 decades. Meanwhile the thrust target keeps going down every year, from 1 gazillion kN to 80 kN over the years.

 

[MohitG]

Keep it up the good progress and make it happen asap. The blessings of 140 crore Indians are with this program. India needs self reliance in jet engine asap.

 

[DEADLOCK]

They have been claiming its almost ready since last 3 decades. Meanwhile the thrust target keeps going down every year, from 1 gazillion kN to 80 kN over the years.

It takes time to make a aero engine
And don't forget this India Very 🥇 FIRST Attempt at this making this even more challenging. The West has been developing Jet engines since the invested it
Earlier the Turbojet and later on Turbofan.
But we very Overconfidently choose to go SOLO on developing such tech. And at time the international partners wouldn't even have helped India in such critically important sector.
Still India has Managed to develop so what OKish of a jet Engine for a First timer . Not by reverse engineering it like chinese or stealing IPR from USSR but by our studies and r&d.
The biggest Bakchodi of govt was stopped the funding as it wasn't delivering the requirement outcomes.
And bolstering such pathetic reason that we had poured over 400million into this program don't qoute the numbers I'm just saying.
But it's something similar or close to that.
Where as country like France who has developed Turbojet engine for mirages and then develop M88 with atleast Some BILLIONS of spending in R&D and today they're are technologically sovereign nation.
BC our govt got Bags upon Bags of Uncountable CASH when it comes to Freebies and Vote Bank politics but when it comes to Funding such important program IN MC ko Budget Desh ki Aarthik halat aur Development sari chize ek sath yaad ati hai.
Either the UPA or NDA in defence R&D and spaces program funding both have Disappointed this Nation.