General Electric offers 116kn class F414-400 engine co-development to India for the AMCA program

Source : IgMp Bureau

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In a significant development US engine manufacturer General Electric has offered to co-develop and co-produce its F414-400 Enhanced Engine in India for the AMCA program that can develop a thrust of 116 kilonewton.

The revival of the General Electric offer to co-develop the engine coincides with the development of a 120 kilonewton F-414 enhanced performance engine variant for the US Navy.

General Electric has now received requisite permissions from the American weapons export control regime that was earlier reluctant to share core engine technology with India.

General Electric's offer of the 116 kilonewton engine means that it can be used in both the AMCA Mk 1 and Mk 2 since it has the same length as the baseline F414 variant.

Industry Experts read this US turnaround as an attempt to retain its lead to power India's indigenous fighter jet program as the US does not wish to cede this position to European engine manufacturers Safran and Rolls-Royce.

This revived American offer comes at a time when India and France are in final stage of negotiations for the joint development of a new engine with joint Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) under which India will have the right to carry out improvements and upgradation of the critical components as well as full control over export rights and it is still not clear if General Electric has made a similar offer to India.