India's Mass Order of F404-IN20 Engines for Tejas Mk1A Surprised GE, Leaving It Scrambling to Catch Up & Delays

India's unexpected mass order of Tejas Mk1A in 2021 may be the reason behind GE's inability to meet engine delivery timelines. This unexpected demand necessitated the delivery of almost 99 more F404-IN20 engines, a variant specifically designed for the Tejas Mk1 program, leaving GE scrambling to adjust its production capabilities.

GE officials, speaking anonymously, revealed that the company had not anticipated such a large order after the initial procurement of 40 Tejas Mk1 jets. By 2013, India's focus had shifted to the more advanced Tejas Mk2, powered by the F414 engine, further diminishing GE's expectations for additional F404 orders. Consequently, GE scaled back its supply chain for the specialized engine, assuming limited future demand.

The 2021 order for 83 Tejas Mk1A jets, bringing the total to 123, significantly disrupted GE's plans. The company faced a daunting supply chain challenge, needing to ramp up production for an engine it had virtually phased out. The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated matters, disrupting global supply chains and forcing GE to identify new partners to restart production.

Adding to the complexity, the F404-IN20 engine is a highly customized variant specific to India. While other countries utilize the F404 engine, their versions differ in thrust output and production arrangements, limiting GE's ability to leverage existing resources to meet India's sudden demand.

With India now planning to procure an additional 97 Tejas Mk1A jets, GE is accelerating its production efforts. The company aims to deliver 20 engines per year starting in 2026, with potential for further increases. This commitment is crucial to support the expanding Tejas Mk1A fleet and ensure its operational readiness.

Despite the challenges, GE remains dedicated to fulfilling India's orders and supporting the Tejas Mk1A program. The F404-IN20 engine will continue to play a vital role in India's light combat aircraft fleet until the Tejas Mk2 enters full production.

 

[Anant]

There is only one solution to this problem:
Indigenous R&D of engines for 20 years with Public-Private partnership. Right down to the material science. We have material science B.Tech course in IIT Bombay. What is it there for?

Long-term, indigenisation is the answer. Short-term, we have to make do with this.

 

[Anant]

It shouldn’t matter if they were even caught off guard with more orders placed because all they have to do is continue the same variant and its production for a longer period of time. This benefits GE anyway so there should be no complaints from them. However I’m sure that India would have entered the optional clause of placing more orders in their contracts as optional and if it’s ever needed. So this shouldn’t be seen as a reason for the delays in manufacturing the engines for Tejas MK1A or delay production of the Tejas MK1A and trainers.

Sir, the problem here is that the production line manufacturing the IN20 variant had already been switched over to other engines. As such, getting it set back up would have been a difficult task, and the supply chain disruptions thanks to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war hasn't helped that process.

Had the line been around, then any and all delays would have been on GE's account.

 

[Anant]

Just for information; how much is the dry thrust of this engine as compared to other engines made by Safran or Russia. The article says that the wet thrust of 84 kn.

Sometimes back; the Economist from UK had said that it was under powered.

F404-GE-IN20: 49 kN dry, 85 kN wet thrust.
F404 (standard variants): 49 kN dry, 79 kN wet thrust.
F110 (larger engine): 73-84.5 kN dry, 120-145 kN wet thrust (depending on variant).
F414: 58-ish kN dry, 98 kN wet thrust.
Snecma M53 (an older engine): 64 kN dry, 95 kN wet thrust.
Snecma M88: 50 kN dry, 75 kN wet thrust.
EJ200: 60 kN dry, 90 kN wet thrust.
Kaveri: 52-ish kN dry, 80-85 kN wet thrust.
RD-33: 50 kN dry, 81 kN wet thrust.
RD-33MK: 50 kN dry, 88 kN wet thrust.
AL-31 (considerably larger): 76.5 kN dry, 122.5 kN wet thrust.

 

[PKPRS]

It's GOI who ordered MK1A as MK2 was not ready. Don't blame IAF.

to add to the misery, IAF also keeps changing the requirements, they want everything upfront, they don’t want lifecycle upgrades, this further delays, as GAL imports almost 50% of the components, supply chain issues with every single component delays even more, IAF needs to learn to live with whatever they get to begin with.