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Russia has formally proposed its advanced M-90FR marine gas turbine engine for the Indian Navy's Russian-designed warships, a move aimed at resolving significant logistical challenges caused by the conflict in Ukraine.
The offer includes a full transfer of technology for local manufacturing, aligning with India’s strategic push for self-reliance in defence production and reinforcing the deep-rooted defence partnership between the two nations.
This development could provide a stable and long-term solution to the supply chain disruptions that have impacted the maintenance and construction of key Indian naval vessels.
The Indian Navy currently operates a large fleet of warships, including the Talwar-class frigates and Delhi-class destroyers, which are powered by gas turbine engines sourced from the Ukrainian firm Zorya-Mashproekt.
Since the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, the production and delivery of these engines and their spare parts have been severely hampered.
This dependency created notable difficulties, exemplified by the recent commissioning of the frigate INS Tushil, for which India had to independently procure Ukrainian engines to be installed in Russia.
With two more Talwar-class frigates currently under construction at Goa Shipyard Limited, securing a reliable propulsion system has become a critical priority for the Indian Navy.
The proposed replacement, the M-90FR, is a modern power plant developed by Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UEC-Saturn). This engine is capable of producing up to 27,500 horsepower and boasts a higher thermal efficiency of 36% compared to the 32% of its Ukrainian counterparts, resulting in lower fuel consumption and enhanced operational range.
The M-90FR is a proven system, currently in service as the main power plant for Russia's advanced Admiral Gorshkov-class (Project 22350) guided-missile frigates. Russia developed this engine as part of its import substitution program after Ukraine halted military-technical cooperation in 2014.
Crucially, the Russian proposal is not merely for the direct sale of engines but includes a comprehensive technology transfer agreement. This would enable India to manufacture the M-90FR engines domestically under its flagship "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" (Self-Reliant India) initiatives.
Establishing a local production line would drastically reduce long-term costs for both newly built warships and the mid-life upgrades of existing ones.
It would also foster a specialised industrial ecosystem within India, potentially leveraging the experience of public sector undertakings like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which already handles licensed production of Russian aircraft engines.
This offer arrives as the Indian Navy is actively pursuing its maritime capability perspective plan, which aims to expand its fleet to 175 warships by 2035 to safeguard its interests across the Indian Ocean Region.
While India has successfully diversified its propulsion sources, incorporating American GE LM2500 engines in its indigenously built Shivalik-class and Nilgiri-class frigates, the M-90FR presents a seamless integration option for its substantial fleet of Russian-origin platforms.
Adopting this engine would ensure operational continuity and streamline the logistics, training, and maintenance for a significant portion of India's surface combatant fleet.
