India, US close to finalising jet engine co-production deal for fighter aircraft
Under the agreement, the engines will be manufactured in India, contributing to the country's self-reliance on defence technology.In a parallel development, India received the second GE-404 engine from the US on Monday for the LCA Mark 1A programme. The engine was handed over to HAL, which is set to receive 12 more GE-404 engines by the end of the financial year.These engines will power the LCA Mark 1A aircraft, for which the IAF has already placed an order for 83 units. A proposal to procure 97 additional fighters is also in an advanced stage of approval.Earlier this year, GE Aerospace delivered the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL for the same programme. HAL is now working to integrate these engines into the Mark 1A jets and aims to deliver more than 10 aircraft to the IAF soon.Top-level reviews of the project continue, with Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister PK Misra recently visiting HAL's Bengaluru facility to assess progress on both the LCA Mark 1A and Mark 2 programmes.The LCA Mark 2 is envisioned to replace the aging Mirage 2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29 fleets by around 2035. In the next decade, India aims to manufacture over 400 LCA jets powered by variants of GE engines.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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