Indian Navy Charts Course Towards Complete Self-Reliance in Marine Engines

In a significant move towards bolstering national security and reducing reliance on foreign suppliers, the Indian Navy has embarked on an ambitious plan to indigenously develop a range of marine engines for its warships.

Currently, the Navy relies on a mix of diesel engines and gas turbines procured from countries like Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom. However, this dependence poses challenges in terms of supply chain vulnerabilities and long-term maintenance.


To address these issues, the Navy has prioritized the development of diesel engines suitable for medium-class warships. Collaborations with Indian companies experienced in commercial diesel gensets and smaller vessel engines are already underway, with the Navy partially funding these projects to accelerate domestic expertise and production capabilities.

For larger warships, the focus is on developing gas turbine engines. The Navy is in talks with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) to develop a new and improved variant of the Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT). This modified version of the Dry Kaveri engine, with its low-pressure configuration and free-power turbine, is expected to offer efficient power generation and maintain consistent output even in hot climates, making it well-suited for Indian conditions.

In addition, the Navy is exploring the co-development of electric propulsion systems for larger vessels in collaboration with the United Kingdom. This technology, if manufactured locally, could significantly enhance efficiency and reduce operating costs.


Looking further into the future, the Navy is considering adapting one of the jet engines being developed for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program as a potential marine gas turbine option for high-power requirements.

This ambitious roadmap aims to initiate trials of these domestically developed diesel engines and marine gas turbines by 2028-29, with the ultimate goal of achieving complete self-reliance in marine propulsion systems by 2040. This move not only strengthens India's defense capabilities but also fosters a thriving domestic shipbuilding industry.

 

[GMR]

Kudos to IN.. Has a clear vision & roadmap for implementation 👍👍👍 they slipped only one time with Project 75I

 

[sanket]

RR front runner for both Marine & Fighter jet Engine .GE too have but they dont going to share IPR . Look Like its all European company to b selected for AMCA 110 kN Engine.

 

[Akshat]

RR front runner for both Marine & Fighter jet Engine .GE too have but they dont going to share IPR . Look Like its all European company to b selected for AMCA 110 kN Engine.

RR doesn’t have any tech to share with us especially in the fighter engine side. Their own engines have been made functional by Germans and French.

 

[Anant]

Kudos to IN.. Has a clear vision & roadmap for implementation 👍👍👍 they slipped only one time with Project 75I

Not quite. While the Navy's strike rate (so to speak) is the highest, there have been far more slippage, both due to procedural as well as operational reasons. Examples include the proposed procurement of a few old MCMVs while new ones are built, the MRSV project, the lack of follow-on orders to Project 15B (which will mean our destroyer construction will be at its first pause since 2003, and others.

 

[NSR]

Utilizing the derivatives of Dry Kaveri fighter engine would be a great idea.
I have written about it many times over the years.
Dry Kaveri engine can also be used to develop engines for Trains, Powerplants, etc

India should accelerate its investments to develop Kaveri into at least F404 engine so no one can threaten us with santions of any kind.

 

[abhinav srivastava]

Make a separate engine design and manufacturing co which can manufacture engines for tanks/light tanks, jets, drones, helicopters and marine engines.

 

[Sreedhar Radhakrishna]

Of all the 3 services, it is the Navy alone, which is very effectively supporting indegenization of critical elements. Keep it up IN. Now it's for the country and its industries to support and successfully meet the IN requirements

 

[Not a 🇫🇷Dalal]

RR doesn’t have any tech to share with us especially in the fighter engine side. Their own engines have been made functional by Germans and French.

Safran doesn’t have any tech to share with us, they are ancient and their product’s along with Rafale should be kept in museum for the School kids to look at what 19th century people used.

 

[Akshat]

Safran doesn’t have any tech to share with us, they are ancient and their product’s along with Rafale should be kept in museum for the School kids to look at what 19th century people used.

Yet Rafale keeps winning orders including by India. Indian navy and IAF totally disagree with you. Sad for you anti nationals once again.

 

[Avada kedavra]

tata mahindra and force motors have been making diesel engines for a while, why cant they scale up and make it for ships as well?

 

[Avada kedavra]

Yet Rafale keeps winning orders including by India. Indian navy and IAF totally disagree with you. Sad for you anti nationals once again.

rafale is getting orders from those who want to maintain a distance with the US and those who dont have access to F35.
That basically includes the entire global south.

 

[Akshat]

rafale is getting orders from those who want to maintain a distance with the US and those who dont have access to F35.
That basically includes the entire global south.

Croatia is in those countries? Greece? Greece has already ordered F35 but still ordered Rafale. Both of them are in NATO actually.

UAE actually refused to buy F35 despite clearance to get them.

As for maintaining distance from US, Qatar, Egypt or Indonesia ain’t in that category either.

So no. Rafale has no such limits. It’s being ordered left right and center based on its performance and price.

 

[kumar]

Indian Army can learn from Indian Navy.

 

[Mr. S]

Have any Indian Engineering Colleges been identified as potential "Centers of Excellence" to develop world class domestic naval architecture and naval propulsion?? Without a constant stream of extremely skilled (and employable upon graduation) and merit-based workforce, this will not be a sustainable effort.

 

[Not a 🇫🇷Dalal]

Croatia is in those countries? Greece? Greece has already ordered F35 but still ordered Rafale. Both of them are in NATO actually.

UAE actually refused to buy F35 despite clearance to get them.

As for maintaining distance from US, Qatar, Egypt or Indonesia ain’t in that category either.

So no. Rafale has no such limits. It’s being ordered left right and center based on its performance and price.

Croatia and Greece bought used Rafales to replace their retired MIG-29’s, they are not the same Global South who are duped to believe that Rafale is some sort of stealth aircraft that is similar to F35, the Countries who are buying doesn’t have any aerospace knowledge and have no idea what stealth means, but India studied the so called stealth if Rafale and ran away after spending $10Bln for only 36 Rafale’s.