HAL inks $1-billion fighter engine deal with GE

Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday announced that it has signed a deal with US engine maker GE Aerospace for 113 F404-IN20 engines to power the 97 additional light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) ordered by the defence ministry to boost the air force’s readiness

NEW DELHI: Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday announced that it has signed a deal with US engine maker GE Aerospace for 113 F404-IN20 engines to power the 97 additional light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1A) ordered by the defence ministry to boost the air force’s readiness.

HAL said in a statement that the engine deliveries would take place between 2027 to 2032. (PTI)

The deal, estimated to be worth $1 billion, includes a support package for the execution of the programme.

The engine deliveries would take place between 2027 to 2032, HAL said in a statement on X.

The new engine contract comes a month-and-a-half after the defence ministry signed a ₹62,370-crore deal with HAL to buy 97 more LCA Mk-1As for the IAF which is wrestling with a worrying shortage of fighter jets. The delivery of these aircraft will begin in 2027-28 and be wrapped up over six years. The aircraft ordered in September include 68 fighter jets and 29 twin-seat trainers.

This was the second contract for the LCA Mk-1As --- the defence ministry ordered 83 LCA Mk-1As for ₹48,000 crore in February 2021 to shore up the Indian Air Force’s fighter fleet. To be sure, none of the fighters ordered four years back has been delivered yet. The IAF could get the delivery of the first of the 83 jets already ordered in the coming months.

The LCA Mk-1As will replace the IAF’s MiG-21 fighter jets. The IAF, the world’s fourth largest airforce, retired the last of its iconic MiG-21 fighter jets in September, bringing the curtain down on a 62-year journey.

The IAF is concerned about the current pace of the LCA Mk-1A programme because of the possible risks a delay in the induction of new fighters could pose to its combat effectiveness.

The LCA Mk-1A programme (83 aircraft) was earlier hampered by the delay in supply of F404-IN20 engines. The delivery of engines for the first order has now stabilised. GE Aerospace has already delivered a few engines, and another 20 units are expected next year as the US firm has fixed supply chain bottlenecks. The engine maker has also said it will deliver more than 20 engines per year from 2027.

The first of the 83 LCA Mk-1As on order will be delivered after the completion of weapon trials. The first aircraft was to be delivered in March 2024 under the 2021 order.

In October, defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated new production lines of the LCA Mk-1 and the HTT-40 basic trainer in Nashik to meet the air force’s growing needs. HAL can build 16 Mk-1As every year in Bengaluru, and the Nashik production line will help it ramp production to a total of 24 jets.

HAL is also negotiating with GE Aerospace another deal for the joint production of F414 engines in India for the more advanced LCA Mk-2 programme. The deal will involve 80% transfer of technology and is also estimated to be worth around $1 billion.

In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for building jet engines in the country, putting the spotlight on a striking technology gap and stressing that self-reliance is the linchpin of India’s efforts towards becoming a developed nation by 2047. “I urge India’s young scientists, talented youth, engineers, professionals and all government departments that we should have our own jet engines for our Made-in-India fighter jets,” he said at the time, adding that developing jet engines will ensure future defence technology is entirely home-grown.