Safran Leads India's AMCA Engine Race with Full Technology Transfer Proposal

French aerospace giant Safran has emerged as a frontrunner in the competition to provide the engine for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program.

The company has made a bold move by offering a complete technology transfer (ToT), including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), for the co-development of a new 6th generation engine specifically designed for the AMCA.

This proposal sets Safran apart from competitors like General Electric and Rolls-Royce, who have not offered such comprehensive ToT terms.

With 100% ToT, India's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) and its domestic partners will gain the expertise to manufacture the jet engine entirely within the country, fostering long-term self-reliance and the ability to modify and adapt the engine to future needs.

Safran's offer goes beyond existing engine models like the M-88 used in Rafale jets. The proposed engine aims to meet India's ambitious specifications, including 75kN of dry thrust and 110-130kN of wet thrust.

Such a powerful engine could not only power the AMCA MkII and potential 6th generation fighter jets but also be a future upgrade option for the Tejas MkII and Rafale.

This strategic move by Safran aims to establish a long-term partnership with India and position the company as a preferred supplier for future Indian fighter jet programs.

By enabling India to achieve self-reliance in jet engine technology, Safran is betting on a mutually beneficial relationship that could extend beyond the AMCA program.

While Safran's offer is undoubtedly enticing, India is expected to carefully evaluate proposals from all contenders before making a final decision. Factors like cost, engine performance, and the experience of each manufacturer will play a crucial role in the selection process.

 

[Blademaster]

a mirage for the suckers. Safran would never part ways with its technology. It would be old wine in a new bottle. It is another way of saying here is some screwgiri driver technology and be gone about it.

 

[k2b2]

bang..!

 

[MANIVANNAN N]

Initially to get money they will say all. Then usung delaying tactics they trasfer tech two decades later.

 

[MANIVANNAN N]

Example su 30 alf 30 engine. Total trasnfer yr fixed 2014. But no 100% tranfer.

 

[sanket]

Mark My word it will b European partner for AMCA Engine Development even if GE ready to Transfer 80% ToT for 414 Engine .

 

[NSR]

France/Dassault/Safran track record in India is very well known to all citizens including Parliamentary CAG committee.
Hard to believe on their promises as their offsets are still unfulfilled according to CAG and some companies has been even imposed fines.

Remember France came forward only after USA offered 80% of TOT for GE F-414 engine and complete local manufacturing too. For a decade Dassault/Safran were playing sick games with Indian requirements of fighters and engines.

Completely new engine means India bears 100% cost, and its success and certainly its failures.
History is full of failure of fighter engines.

So my best recommendation is for India to join UK, Japan and Italy lead 6th generation fighter program and bear 1/4th of cost and get its 6th generation fighter and associated technology by 2035.
It is a much better option.

 

[sanket]

France/Dassault/Safran track record in India is very well known to all citizens including Parliamentary CAG committee.
Hard to believe on their promises as their offsets are still unfulfilled according to CAG and some companies has been even imposed fines.

Remember France came forward only after USA offered 80% of TOT for GE F-414 engine and complete local manufacturing too. For a decade Dassault/Safran were playing sick games with Indian requirements of fighters and engines.

Completely new engine means India bears 100% cost, and its success and certainly its failures.
History is full of failure of fighter engines.

So my best recommendation is for India to join UK, Japan and Italy lead 6th generation fighter program and bear 1/4th of cost and get its 6th generation fighter and associated technology by 2035.
It is a much better option.

Good Chance for India , make Maximum If they are Ready to Shift R&D od Tempest Engine with Eco-system manufacturing & Tempest production Facility making India Figter jet Hub with Exporting Rights.

 

[NSR]

Good Chance for India , make Maximum If they are Ready to Shift R&D od Tempest Engine with Eco-system manufacturing & Tempest production Facility making India Figter jet Hub with Exporting Rights.

My feeling is that all four gets to manufacture them and share technologies but may not share IP rights of their individual products which they developed with their own money and efforts.

Sanket, my idea is still better than fishing expedition of France/Dassault/Safran where the results are unknown.

It is a 10 year project and we may end up with nothing by 2035

 

[Vineet Sharma]

This is rat race where everybody is committed to get order and once order will be given they will find every way to delay execution.. Better to get 10-12 engines to study and implement learning to design kaveri 2.0

 

[Bharat007]

Example su 30 alf 30 engine. Total trasnfer yr fixed 2014. But no 100% tranfer.

Read the article once again. It is not related to Ruskis Sukhoi engines. Example given by u makes no sense. Both Ruskis and French have their own different ways..

 

[Harsh]

Let us not get carried away by routine Bull***t. There is no such thing as free lunch. The lunch menu has not been decided yet. India better not waste any more time. It will just have to slog it out itself, however, painful.

All this is author's wishful thinking. Europeans know how to feed "chugga" to Indian defense "specialists" and keep the drum rolling.

 

[Ranjeet Singh]

First Safran+GTRE+ HAL should make a 90-95 Kn engine for Tejas-1A then only India should award the contract to Safran for AMCA engine !

 

[Anant]

Hold on just a minute. Just what exactly does whoever wrote this article mean by "the key differentiator is the 100% ToT, including IPR"?

Wasn't the entire idea of the partnership for the AMCA Mk II engine to get joint IPR and full ToT, which would allow us to develop our own engines from scratch and make modifications to these engines? If either of the three contenders there (RR, Safran, or GE) is not offering joint IPR and full ToT, then there is absolutely no point in that partnership. Absolutely nothing!

 

[Utopian]

French had been most manipulative so far. I don't know if they fulfilled the offset investment commitments so far. I believe, they just paid penalty and ran away. Don't trust them anymore

 

[Akshat]

Initially to get money they will say all. Then usung delaying tactics they trasfer tech two decades later.

Get it in writing. France always obeys whatever it agrees to. They might be expensive or difficult to convince but once they agree they always do what they say, if not more.

 

[Akshat]

This is rat race where everybody is committed to get order and once order will be given they will find every way to delay execution.. Better to get 10-12 engines to study and implement learning to design kaveri 2.0

And you think DRDO ever learns anything? 😂😂

 

[Akshat]

Continous kaveri engine devlopment. That is the good option for 100% own tech.

Sale of Kaveri tech to a private company is the only way. GTRE just keeps throwing media tidbits to ensure jobs for another decade or 2.

 

[Akshat]

Hold on just a minute. Just what exactly does whoever wrote this article mean by "the key differentiator is the 100% ToT, including IPR"?

Wasn't the entire idea of the partnership for the AMCA Mk II engine to get joint IPR and full ToT, which would allow us to develop our own engines from scratch and make modifications to these engines? If either of the three contenders there (RR, Safran, or GE) is not offering joint IPR and full ToT, then there is absolutely no point in that partnership. Absolutely nothing!

It’s a little more complicated than that buddy. Say, someone might be willing to do that but they don’t have the requisite tech? Or none of them is willing? In which case we well have to go with the best offer instead of the perfect one. Or maybe someone is offering and has the tech but is not affordable, in which case again we might have to go with the next best offer.

 

[Akshat]

French had been most manipulative so far. I don't know if they fulfilled the offset investment commitments so far. I believe, they just paid penalty and ran away. Don't trust them anymore

Oh they set the benchmark on how to fulfill offsets. In the entire Rafale acquisition only one penalty was imposed, that too on MBDA, which is not French but European. I hat to amounted to about 0.5% of the total offset value, and even that was challenged by them. So it was a benchmark performance.