Indian Private Industry Ready for Fighter Engine Development, but High-altitude Testing Remains Critical Gap, Asserts VEM

India's private sector possesses the necessary technological and manufacturing capabilities to develop indigenous fighter jet engines, but overcoming challenges like the lack of adequate high-altitude testing facilities remains crucial for achieving true self-reliance in this critical defence area.

This assessment was delivered by Venkat Raju, Managing Director of VEM Technologies, at The Week Defence Conclave. His remarks highlighted both the significant progress made by the nation and the persistent hurdles in this strategically important field.

Mr. Raju emphasised that Indian industry has made substantial advancements in core areas vital for aero-engine development. He pointed to considerable expertise gained in system engineering, seamless integration of complex components, and process automation.

he industry has also matured in its understanding and application of advanced materials, supported by extensive experience in constructing sophisticated test equipment and a strong pool of skilled engineers.

Furthermore, design and analytical tools within the country have achieved high levels of efficiency, allowing for quicker and more precise simulations of engine performance, while precision manufacturing capabilities are now well-established.

This progress, according to Raju, extends to expertise in fuel system management and reliability engineering, with private companies now demonstrating full system-level capabilities.

"This means engine development can now be managed by private industry," he stated, indicating a potential shift from the traditional reliance on public sector undertakings for such complex defence projects.

He also affirmed that India has the capacity for large-scale engine manufacturing, a vital component for sustaining modern fighter aircraft programs. For decades, India has worked on developing its own jet engines, such as the Kaveri engine, which, despite challenges, provided valuable experience.

However, significant challenges persist. Mr. Raju specifically identified high-altitude testing as a critical gap where India might still require external assistance. Such testing is essential to ensure engines perform reliably under the extreme atmospheric conditions encountered at high operational altitudes.

He stressed the strategic dangers of continued dependence on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for engine development. While acknowledging that using some foreign engines is acceptable tactically, he cautioned, "no foreign OEM is likely to provide true technology transfer or genuine co-development opportunities."

This situation underscores the pressing need for India to prioritise and invest in indigenous development to secure its strategic autonomy and reduce vulnerabilities in its defence preparedness.

Providing a realistic outlook, the VEM chief cautioned that developing a fighter jet engine is a lengthy and resource-intensive process. "Testing alone will take at least five years," he estimated, adding that a fully operational indigenous engine, developed using India's current approach, could take approximately 15 years to come to fruition.

The financial investment required is also substantial, projected to be between Rs 12,000 crore and Rs 15,000 crore for the entire cycle of development and subsequent mass production.

To turn this ambitious vision into reality, Mr. Raju called for decisive action from the highest levels of policymaking. He urged for sustained government support, strategic investment, and clear alignment of national priorities to drive this critical indigenous defence program forward, ensuring India can eventually power its fighter aircraft with locally developed and manufactured engines.

 

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[NAG]

India should do whatever needed for making the Kaveri engine successful and operational. Why don't we rename the name itself in the first instance. It may look stupid, but sometime the name correction do wonders! May be kaveri & vayu don't gel together.
Now can't depend on foreign entities for any breakthrough. Like in the case of liquid cryogenic for rockets. We could develop on our own. Not even russia was willing to give technology

 

[sanket]

Okay, 12,000 crore to 15,000 crore is not much. But real investment lies in testing facilities, R&D cost, building the ecosystem and its capacities. The total cost for a clean-slate Aero-Engine will be 35,000 crore to 45,000 crore. At present, Bharat needs the help/assistance of a foreign partner for developing this cutting-edge Aero-Engine in time. Grab whatever they share; the rest should be parallel development and should progress/continue. Developing an Aero-Engine on its own will take time, which is very important to launch the AMCA fighter jet.

 

[Shafted mohammed]

Stop all these discussions and immediately allot 1 billion every year for the next 4 years and develop our own fighter engines, as I do not think GE would deliver the engines. It is wise to anticipate the problem and act. Form a conglomerate and decide the work share and develop 3 engines: 90, 120, and 145 KN engines. Whatever else is happening, don't you worry; if you make products which are sanction-free then only you are a superpower.

 

[Somnath Sinhababu]

Then who is stopping you to make it? Our companies are best at giving lectures only. When it comes to R&D, they are zero. They know only one thing: copy and paste. Just give me the name of a single company that is trying to build a jet engine. No one. The Government is also responsible, neither giving funds to local companies nor signing any deal with foreign companies for making jet engines in India. Only talking and talking and meeting and all other bullshit stuff. Jokers. On the other side, Pakistan is getting a 5th gen jet from China by next year, and what is our Government doing? Nonsense.

 

[highradio]

Just keep discussing and giving talk shows. The government doesn't seem serious about developing its own jet engines; otherwise, they would have allocated a dedicated fund for it by now and invited private sector participation through PLI schemes and all instead of spending billions of dollars on freebies. Karnataka alone has spent 14 billion dollars on freebies in 1 year.

 

[jayanto chatterjee]

Then who is stopping you to make it? Our companies are best at giving lectures only. When it comes to R&D, they are zero. They know only one thing: copy and paste. Just give me the name of a single company that is trying to build a jet engine. No one. The Government is also responsible, neither giving funds to local companies nor signing any deal with foreign companies for making jet engines in India. Only talking and talking and meeting and all other bullshit stuff. Jokers. On the other side, Pakistan is getting a 5th gen jet from China by next year, and what is our Government doing? Nonsense.

Aren't you the wiseguy? Companies need huge government financial assistance for R&D and testing. It's impossible for the private sector to do this on its own. The GOI has tried to go with foreign makers thus far, but geopolitics has interfered with engine development and supply, as is the case with GE. The GOI has realised this and roped in the private sector, which was not allowed hitherto. Better late than never. We will make our own engines with GOI backing and private sector involvement in the next 5 to 7 years.

 

[Rinku Pandey]

I truly believe Indian industries can build a fifth-gen fighter engine in 15 years' time, just ready in time for AMCA in 2040. The government needs to allot $5 billion separately from the defence budget.

 

[Sandeep]

India has learnt a lot from designing, developing and manufacturing the Kaveri Engine and while it can’t be used on fighter jets as we can’t increase the thrust level without blowing it up we can keep researching and improving it.

We are currently developing the dry Kaveri Engine which will be used on the stealth UCAV Ghatak and good progress is being made as it’s currently being tested and it will soon be certified but it takes time. We are also developing the Kaveri Marine engine which is being tested and is making good progress and it will power our small to medium naval ships in future. We are also developing the STFE which can be used on long range cruise missiles, power drones and trainer aircraft which will have a broad range of use and benefits. While the main goal of developing a jet engine has failed we have learnt a lot from it which has allowed us to use it for other platforms. While it might be possible to 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a 80KN and higher thrust jet engine if DRDO and the private sector, or a private company alone or a consortium of private sector companies collaborate it will take a very long time and there’s no guarantee that they will succeed.

What India urgently needs are fighter jets and we don’t have enough time to wait and develop an engine which takes at least 10-15 years before it enters production. There is also no guarantee that it will succeed and meet all of the requirements that the air force needs. We have already made a deal to import 200 F404 engine to power the Tejas MK1A jets but it’s not powerful enough to power anything heavier than that. For Tejas MK2 the immediate and best solution is to manufacture the F414 engine in India which gives us 80% of the technology and we get to manufacture the same amount with Indian raw materials and content which can increase even further. This will give us immediate access to the best technology and manufacturing capabilities and it will teach us the latest and best knowledge on developing jet engines. For the AMCA we definitely need to partner with a foreign company as we need to 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a stealth engine which is very complex and difficult to create. It’s more complex for us because our knowledge and capabilities on jet engines isn’t that advanced. Whichever foreign company we partner with we are guaranteed to receive 100% of the technology and education on how to do it.

If we want to 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a jet engine then we should start by developing an alternative to the F404 engines. We will be manufacturing 200 Tejas MK1A jets and over a 40 year lifespan we will need at least 600 engines or more depending on the amount we use. So the choice we have is whether we want to import 600 expensive engines or develop that amount indigenously and save a lot of money. If our private sector industries can collaborate together or partner with DRDO then they can certainly try and create one. The government can provide some of the funds based on the progress they make but not 100% of the funds as the private sector can contribute a little bit towards the research as they will be manufacturing a large number of the engines.

 

[heynow_1]

First of all, the government has to fund R&D, then provide guarantees to the private partners that they will get orders and make profits. In the past, private companies stepped up and developed products, only for the government to delay procurement for years. No private firm has time to waste.

 

[Dr K Sham Sunder]

It is time we create a corporate company with a share capital of Rs. Ten thousand crores. Also, a Government grant of Ten thousand crores as R&D support, in four equal installments. It should be spent in equal proportion to equity, to ensure proper use. Let the private promoters come forward with 51% equity, to have say & control. The remaining 49% can come from government institutional investors, who have an ability to oversea the progress of the project.

GTRE and HAL Engine Design Bureau have to operate as the basic work centres, for this project. They can commit for what they are confident of delivering or able to support. Rest should come from third parties within and outside the country.

I am an Outstanding Scientist and a former Project Director of ADA. I happen to work on aero-engine development for a decade, before my joining ADA. Having had hands on experience on both PTAE-7 engine development and later LCA, I can tell that developing a fourth generation fighter aircraft is a lot more complex job. It is well with in the capability of the country.

Since there is a lot of market, a corporate company with the above structure will succeed.
Dr K Sham Sunder
9844003355

 

[whatt]

Why not invest in 6th gen directly? There is no rule to go through each generation. If India develops a 6th Gen fighter, what's the need of 5th gen?

 

[kiers]

Why is "High Altitude Testing" a sticking point, as described in this article? Doesn't india have high altitude airfields in Leh/Ladakh? ~15K feet above sea level, plus requisite additional hypobaric equipment in Leh/Ladakh should be easier to simulate flight conditions?

 

[Foxbat]

I am confident we have people in aircraft engineering with adequate knowledge to produce homegrown advanced technology defence products. However to produce an advanced technology aircraft engines is a very complex engineering.

The expertise to produce an advanced engine with higher thrust, dealing with the critical hot section, abilities to function well in high altitude and fuel saving in military aircrafts engine technology particularly fighters is a very complex engineering techniques only mastered by few engine producers with the experience namely Rolls Royce, GE, Russians and Safran. I understand and appreciate our Indian engineers high level of knowledge but we lack the strength in advanced technology fighter aircraft engines. We are notoriously famous for deliberating on specific technology we don't have the knowledge and expertise instead of quickly deliberate on the next viable options to move on to the next available options. By dragging on and on to spending much time to make a vital decision is causing long delays in meeting the timeline to roll out new model fighters. By right the bureaucrats should play a proactive roll on these vital matters pertaining to defence industries advising the parties involved to deliberate on the projects throughly and move forward by making quick decisions. It's a very simple analogy, if we don't have the knowledge and expertise in certain areas where we are not knowledgeable seek foreign partnership to collaborate on advanced technology engines. The chinese are alreafy flying 6th gen fighters. We don't know how it fares in the 6th gen fighter domain but the thing is our bureaucrats and people in Indian defence industries should realise the difference we are in fighter aircraft technology with the chinese. Countries like china, turkey and S Korea their leaders and government are the forces behind their advancement and progress in fighter aircraft programmes respectively. Our bureaucrats and GTRE officials are not efficient in their decision making process this is the reason why industry executives produce the aircrafts first then they go searching for ideal engine to power Tejas Mk1A, Mk2 and AMCA. By right an advanced technology engine to cater for the next generation fighter aircrafts should have been produced (whether local expertise is available) long before the design stage for aircraft engineers to construct to compliment the formidable engine to suit the requirements of the Indian Air Force. The recent brief war should have opened the mindset of the bureaucrats and top officials in HAL and GTRE to act fast in decision making process to engage with reliable and trusted foreign partners to produce 120kN advanced technology engine to power Tejas Mk2, AMCA and TEDBF. Our decision makers are still haggling and deliberating on selection of foreign partners collaboration till today. I really wonder when will these officials in search for a foreign partner will ever finalise the engine deal. If a decision is made on a foreign partner by end of the year, which I doubt, then it will take another at least 5 years to produce an engine if it could pass all required parameters set out in the collaboration deal. For now the bureaucrats need to play a serious role to get involved with HAL and GTRE officials constantly to monitor the progress and advise them to be proactive in their role play and decision making. But for that to happen the bureaucrats themselves need to efficient in monitoring all activities for check and balance of the industries officials role in executing their decision making effectively and efficiently.