HAL, GE may ink deal for 113 more jet engines

The engine order, seen costing around $1 billion, follows the Centre clearing a ₹62,000 crore deal to buy 97 more LCA Mark 1A fighters earlier this month

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is set to sign a contract with US manufacturer GE Aerospace for an additional 113 GE-404 engines to power the light combat aircraft (LCA) it is building for the Indian Air Force, a person familiar with the matter said.

HAL, GE may ink deal for 113 more jet engines

The engine order, seen costing around $1 billion, follows the Centre clearing a ₹62,000 crore deal to buy 97 more LCA Mark 1A fighters earlier this month, this person said. The IAF had initially ordered 83 Mk-1A fighters for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021. HAL had ordered 99 GE-404 engines to power these aircraft.

GE in March announced that it has delivered the first of these 99 engines to HAL. A total of 12 engines are expected in 2025 with 20 engines each expected to be delivered by GE every year to fulfill the 2021 contract.

The LCA Mk-1As will replace the IAF’s MiG-21 fighter jets that are set to retire in September.

The first Mk-1A jets were slated to be delivered in March, 2024 but the first delivery is expected only sometime this year. In February, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh criticized HAL saying he did not believe it could meet the air force’s critical requirements in the backdrop of the delay in the supply of the Mk-1A fighters.

HAL is also negotiating with GE for the joint production of the GE-414 engines in India for the more advanced LCA Mk-2 programme. The deal will involve an 80% transfer of technology and is estimated to be worth around $1 billion.

In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for building jet engines in the country, underlining the need for self-reliance in India’s efforts towards becoming a developed nation by 2047.