Source : Indian Defence Analysis
India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts
India has been heavily dependent of the engines be it for helicopters, fighter jets or other aircraft. This is a billion-dollar industries which has been never in focus by Indian government. The amount of funds allocated were very less compared to what is being spent by engine giants such as GE, Rolls Royce & Safran to name a few.
In last few years, the government has been aggressively pursuing to close the gap. At present, India is focusing in developing and manufacturing of three engines which will power upcoming fighter jets and UCAV of Indian armed forces.
Dry Kaveri Engine
The first one is Kaveri engine which has been indigenously designed and developed by GTRE. The GTE Kaveri has been able to achieve wet thrust of 70.4 kN and dry thrust of 46kN. The core of the Kaveri engine without after burner section has been stable and various past issue related to the core of the engine has been fixed. It has met its dry thrust requirement of 46kN; however, it is yet to be certified. GTRE has planned the Performance and operability of Kaveri engine across the flight envelop in altitude test facility in 2022. The initial flight release (IFR) certification of the engine is planned to be completed by 2024. Once the Dry Kaveri Engine is certified, GTRE may began the work on an upgraded Jet engine with a new afterburner.
Godrej is playing a key role in the development of dry Kaveri engine. On 17th April 2023, the GTRE Engine Parts Manufacturing at Godrej & Boyce has been inaugurated by Dr. Tessy Thomas who is Director General of Aeronautical Systems, DRDO.
Godrej will be manufacturing all 8 modules of 6 Dry Kaveri engine. The first engine will be delivered by late 2024. All 6 engines are slated to be delivered by August 2025. These engines will further used for certification for its fly worthiness.
AMCA Mark1 & LCA Mark2 Engines
Talking about the fighter jet engines, the immediate need for Indian was GE F414 engine which will power the LCA Mark2 and AMCA Mark1 fighter jets.
On 22nd June 2023, GE Aerospace has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. This was the first major milestone in engine development as General Electric will transfer approximately 80 percent of the jet engine technology by value to HAL. This deal will close the gap of immediate requirement of Indian Air force and fighter jets but India is also looking towards its futuristic requirement i.e. AMCA Mark2.
AMCA Mark2 engines
AMCA Mark2 will need a much powerful engine than GE F414 engine to have super cruise capability which is one of the main features of 5th generation fighter jet. DRDO is looking to do-develop an engine having thrust greater than 110kn in collaboration with foreign OEM such as GE, Safran and Rolls Royce. While GE has also committed to the engine development for AMCA Mark2, Safran seems to be leading the race in this segment. Ahead of the PM Narendra Modi’s visit to France, many reports have been published indicating French deal-winning offer for AMCA Mark2 engine. Reports indicates that France is offering 100% ToT, IPR which is what exactly Indian is looking for its futuristic fighter jets. Safran has also offered to set up a center of excellence in gas turbine technology in India with full design and metallurgical precision software tools. Further the French deal is free from US International Trade in Arms Regulation (ITAR).
IMRH engines
Besides fighter jet engine, India and France is collaborating for engine to be developed for upcoming medium lift helicopter IMRH.
HAL is developing a 13-ton class helicopter called IMRH(Indian Multirole Helicopter) which will be powered by a new engine to be developed by Safran and HAL.
During Aero Indian 2023, Safran Helicopter Engines and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have signed a workshare agreement for the joint development of the engine intended for IMRH. This agreement follows the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed on 8th July 2022 and stipulates the sharing of activities within the joint venture where both parties have agreed on an equivalent repartition.
In particular, HAL will take part in the design, development, and production of some of the core engine components, which is a breakthrough achievement in terms of expertise and know-how in the country. Both partners also agreed on the condition for the transfer right to HAL for manufacturing of seven critical forging and casting raw parts, for further enhancement of indigenous content in Shakti engine of Dhruv and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) programs.
Anticipated announcement during PM’s visit
The Financial Express has reported that the design and development work on the helicopter engines is set to start soon as PM Narendra Modi is visiting Paris in the month of July as The IMRH is expected to be launched four years from now. During PM’s visit to France, both nations are going to announce a number of areas of defence and technology where both countries would be collaborating.
To summarize, this historic visit is expected to announce 26 Rafale-M and 3 additional Kalveri class submarines for Indian Navy, co-development of a more powerful engine for AMCA Mark2 and IMRH helicopters and collaboration on construction of Nuclear-powered submarines. India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts India working towards development of 4 different types of jet engines for different aircrafts IgMp
