&w=3840&q=100)
Kaveri engine is trending - here's why it matters for India's defence
A large number of citizens, defence experts and aviation enthusiasts took to social media on Monday (May 26) to demand faster progress on the Kaveri jet engine project. The hashtag #FundKaveriEngine became the number one trend on X with users encouraging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide more funding and make the indigenous engine, which has been delayed for so long, a priority.
What is the Kaveri engine and why was it being developed for the Tejas?
Kaveri is a jet propulsion engine, which the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is developing. Kaveri is a low bypass, twin spool turbofan engine with 80 kilonewtons (kN) thrust.
Originally conceived in the 1980s, the Kaveri was intended to power India's homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. The engine features a flat-rated design to minimise thrust loss under high-speed and high-temperature conditions, and incorporates a twin-lane Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system with a manual override for enhanced reliability.
Despite its strategic intent, the engine was delinked from the Tejas programme in 2008 after it failed to meet performance thresholds.
Why has the Kaveri engine been delayed for so many years?
The Kaveri project's troubled journey can be traced to a combination of technical complexity, geopolitical setbacks, and infrastructure gaps. Key challenges include:
Aerothermal and metallurgical hurdles that India had no prior experience in addressing.
Lack of critical materials, such as single-crystal turbine blades, due to sanctions imposed after India's 1998 nuclear tests.
Inadequate domestic facilities, forcing India to depend on Russia's CIAM for high-altitude testing.
Shortage of skilled manpower for such advanced aerospace engineering efforts.
The collapse of a proposed partnership with French firm Snecma by 2013, which was expected to transfer key engine core technologies.
These bottlenecks left the engine underpowered and overweight, especially for the Tejas platform, which ultimately opted for the more powerful GE F404 and later GE F414 engines.
How is the Kaveri engine being repurposed for UCAVs and future platforms?
Although its application in Tejas fighter jets has been shelved, the Kaveri engine began to be reimagined for newer defence platforms. A derivative of the engine is currently under development for powering Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs), including the upcoming Ghatak stealth UCAV.
Notably, private sector participation has begun to play a role. Firms like Godrej Aerospace have delivered crucial engine modules, and recent in-flight testing suggests the project has picked up momentum after years of inertia.
What role is the Indian Navy playing in the Kaveri engine programme?
After being delinked from the Tejas programme, the Indian Navy emerged as a key stakeholder in the Kaveri project's next phase. The Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT), a maritime variant of the original jet engine, is being developed to power smaller warships. GTRE has modified the original engine by adding a shaft mechanism, which allows it to drive marine propellers.
The KMGT has undergone extensive testing at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, delivering 12 Megawatts (16,000 horsepower) of propulsion power—sufficient to provide 'boost power' for smaller naval vessels during combat manoeuvres.
In contrast, larger ships like the Shivalik-class frigates use General Electric's LM2500 gas turbines, which offer nearly double the boost at 22 MW.
However, the engine has passed performance tests, meeting Navy specifications, but still remains in the development and validation stage before large-scale production and deployment can commence.
How much has India spent on the Kaveri engine and what are the gains?
The DRDO had spent nearly ₹3,000 crore on the Kaveri engine programme by 2016, the last estimate that was provided of the project by late Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in the Lok Sabha in August of that year. While critics highlight the cost overruns and delays, defence analysts argue that the technological know-how and R&D infrastructure developed through the project will pay long-term dividends, especially in aerospace materials, turbine dynamics, and indigenous testing capabilities.
With its future in UCAVs and naval applications, and a growing chorus pushing for accelerated development, the Kaveri engine project appears to be entering a new phase of relevance.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Niti Aayog and a deepening federalism
In the past 11 years, India has witnessed an era of cooperative and fiscal federalism. The Centre and state governments have worked together on socioeconomic transformation for the achievement of shared goals. The ideal of Team India championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been the driving force behind this approach. Institutional and process reforms of unprecedented scale have brought about exceptional impact at all levels, the most significant being the rise of 25 crore citizens from multidimensional poverty. The transformation of the Planning Commission into the NITI Aayog in 2015 was an important change – it replaced a Centre-to-state one-way flow of policy with a collaborative partnership between the two. For long, knowledge resided where power was wielded. A phygital world is increasing the gap. NITI Aayog plays a vital role in bridging it. Unlike the Planning Commission, it encourages states to take ownership of their development agendas and has become a bridge between the Centre and states. The Aayog's annual Governing Council Meeting acts as the apex platform for the political leadership of the Centre and states to deliberate on issues of national importance. The annual Chief Secretaries Conference is a platform for the senior-most bureaucrats of the country to discuss challenges and share best practices. Its indices have acted as a catalyst for a competitive federal system, inspiring laggard states to improve their performance. The Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme has been transformative in improving the quality of life of citizens from nearly 350 districts and 500 blocks. It has brought the most backward regions at par with state averages across key socio-economic parameters. The key to development for states is the availability of sufficient resources. A significant step in this direction was the decision to increase the states' share in the divisible pool of taxes from 32 per cent to 42 per cent. Recommended by the 14th Finance Commission and implemented by the Centre, this was the largest-ever change in tax devolution at one go. This was implemented in a cooperative spirit to provide autonomy to states in designing and implementing schemes. The Finance Commission's formula has been constantly evolving to address the states' fiscal autonomy and reduce inequality. Transfers to poorer states such as UP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh between the 11th (2004-05) and 15th Finance Commissions (2023-24) have seen substantial increases. If one looks at aggregate numbers from 2014-15 to 2024-25, states' share in central taxes increased from Rs 3.37 lakh crore to Rs 12.23 lakh crore. The GST Council has acted as a platform for fiscal federalism with decision making through consensus between the Centre and states. In actual terms, states receive around 71 per cent of the revenue from GST, while the Centre's share remains at about 29 per cent. Since the rollout of GST, the Centre has foregone 0.5-1 per cent of GDP in revenue annually to fund the 14 per cent compensation guarantee to states. About Rs 6.52 lakh crore have been provided as GST compensation to states from 2017-18 to 2024-25. The Centre's commitment to fiscal federalism has empowered states with more resources in the last decade compared to the previous decade. The ratio of gross transfers (including states' share in central taxes, grants, and loans) to GDP was 5.2 per cent in the decade preceding 2015-16, and has now increased to 6.5 per cent. During this period, grants from the Centre have increased by 234 per cent, and gross loans from the Centre have increased by a massive 992 per cent. The Union budget 2025-26 further proposed an outlay of Rs1.5 lakh crore for 50-year interest-free loans to states for capital expenditure. Even in states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, average central taxes and grants from the Centre as a percentage of total revenue increased from 25 per cent to 31 per cent and 49 per cent to 56 per cent, respectively, from the decade of 2004-14 to 2014-24. In absolute terms, the annual total transfer by the Centre to all states/UTs increased by Rs 14.96 lakh crore in this period. The division of subjects into the Union, State and Concurrent Lists enables efficient distribution of responsibilities to each level of the government. However, the Centre continues to contribute to subjects in the State and Concurrent Lists through the Central Sector (CS) and Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS). Between 2015-16 and 2023-24, CS and CSS releases registered an increase of 197 per cent. Some of the CSS have had a transformative impact. The Jal Jeevan Mission witnessed a 570 per cent resource allocation increase between 2019-20 to 2025-26 and benefitted 15.44 crore rural households with tap water connections. Between its launch in 2018-19 and 2025-26, the budget estimate for PM Jan Aarogya Yojana surged by 292 per cent. Consequently, out-of-pocket health expenditure has declined from 62.6 per cent to 39.4 per cent, with recorded savings of Rs 1.25 lakh crore during the same period. From 2020 to 2025, the allocation for PM Awas Yojana-Gramin surged by approximately 181 per cent with 2.67 crore houses already constructed by 2024. The grassroots change that these impactful schemes have brought into the lives of common citizens is evident. The Centre's commitment to cooperative federalism is equally evident as water, health and housing are all in the State List of the Constitution. The word 'federalism' is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Yet, it has been our guiding mantra. B R Ambedkar had said, 'Our Constitution would be both unitary as well as federal according to the requirements of time and circumstances'. The last decade has been a testimony to the power of cooperative, competitive and fiscal federalism and the positive impact it has had on the lives of 140 crore citizens. (Subrahmanyam is CEO and Shah is senior specialist, NITI Aayog. Views are personal)
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Yamuna clean-up op: Delhi govt to map drains, plug sewage leaks
As part of its plan to clean the Yamuna, the BJP Delhi government is planning to hire an agency to survey each drain that is not connected to the treatment system. Based on the findings, drains will be trapped to curb the flow of untreated water into the river, said officials. According to officials, the government is also planning to reach out to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to assess the output of wastewater being released from all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) in the future. Cleaning the Yamuna and making it pollution-free is one of the top priorities of the BJP government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have held meetings in this regard in the past two months. Officials said the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has asked to prepare a plan and hire an agency to identify gaps and disconnected drains and sewers and assess the sewerage zones. 'The department concerned has directed to hire an agency by the end of this month. The process has begun, and the survey will be completed by September… Based on the identified gaps, detailed project reports (DPRs) will be prepared by project engineers. Projects will be structured accordingly, and the estimated timeline for this is set for December this year,' said a senior official. The CPCB will also conduct inspections to identify operational gaps. 'All existing STPs and their outfalls will be inspected by the CPCB to assess operational shortcomings. For this, the timeline has been set for July 2025. Following its report, the DJB will formulate an action plan… The target for the work is set for October this year, ' said an official. Officials said over the last few years, the DJB has been working on the Interceptor Sewer Project — it entails trapping all drains and diverting wastewater to the nearby STP. However, there are some large drains like Najafgarh and Shahdara where it is not possible to tap them fully, due to which, eventually, untreated water enters the river. 'For such drains, solutions need to be considered, such as tapping 26 out of 182 sub-drains and treating the remaining at their outlets,' read a government document. Officials said 9 out of 22 drains that flow directly into the river have been trapped. Two drains have been partially trapped. Full trapping of drains is set to be completed by December 2027. 'Trapping work for two drains is in progress and is likely to be completed by the end of this year. Meanwhile, 7 drains have not yet been trapped, and no diversion has been made to the sewer/STP for treatment. The deadline to complete this work has been set for December 2027,' said an official. Under this project, the Delhi government also plans to install sewer connections in all unauthorised colonies. Recently, the central government approved Rs 804 crore for this project under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme 2.0. The government plans to install around 13,000 new sewer connections in slum areas, and 2.5 lakh sewer connections in unauthorised colonies and other residential areas.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Govt to soon launch Green Wall project to save exploited Aravallis
It is likely the country's oldest mountain range, spanning 670 km, and runs in a southwesterly direction from Delhi to Gujarat. It boasts 22 wildlife sanctuaries including four tiger reserves (Ranthambore is one) and bird parks. It is the source of important rivers including the Chambal. And it hosts the only primary forest in the National Capital Region, with tools from the lower Palaeolithic period (3.3 million years to 300,000 years ago) and cave art being found in the hills around the forest. It is the Aravallis (also spelt Aaravali; literally meaning line of peaks). Haryana doesn't really care about it though (and has fought tooth and nail to prevent calling its wilds forests); Rajasthan has lost several peaks, according to a submission in the Supreme Court; and Delhi has never really cared about it. All that could change starting June 5, World Environment Day, when the Union government, in association with the states concerned, will launch the Aravalli Green Wall project, focused on restoring the Aravallis in Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat, according to people familiar with the matter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to launch the Aravalli Green Wall project and Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam 2025 campaign by planting saplings at Mahavir Jayanti park in South Delhi, the people added. The people said Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta is expected to join the PM during the launch in Delhi, while the CMs of the other three Aravalli states are also expected to begin the campaign in their states. According to the people cited above, the project will look at large-scale landscape restoration by removal of prospis juliflora (a kind of mesquite) and planting of native species, especially in reserved forest areas under the forest departments. Trees such as the khair (Indian gum arabic), ronjh (White-barked Acacia); dhau (axlewood), pilkhan (white fig),salai (Indian frankincense), among others, are native to the belt. Surveys by a Wildlife Institute of India (WII) team in parts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat, Mahendargarh and Rewari revealed the presence of at least 10 mammalian species — common leopard, striped hyena, golden jackal, grey wolf, Indian fox, jungle cat, grey mongoose, small Indian civet, Indian crested porcupine, Indian hare, wild pig, rhesus macaque, blue-bull (Nilgai) and Indian gazelle (Chinkara). It showed forest cover in the Haryana Aravallis was very low ( 3.63%) and only exists in the form of two categories i.e open (sparse canopied forests) and scrub forests. The Aravallis have over 300 species of birds and the Aravallis lie along the Central Asian Flyway making the range a birding hotspot. According to a report on Gurugram's Aravalli Biodiversity Park, 170 species of birds were sighted here including a few uncommon species for Delhi-NCR like Sirkeer Malkoha, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Indian Eagle Owl and Jungle Prinia. But the Aravallis have been destroyed by the proximity to large urban centres such as Delhi and Gurugram, quarried for stone (often illegally), and left to the mercy of village panchayats as common land with most of the states loath to define them as forests. The Green Wall project, envisaging a green corridor from Delhi to Gujarat has been spoken off in various forms since the 1990s, although it has never been formalised. Now, finally, the Union environment ministry has prepared a detailed project report for it with plans that drill down to the district level. The Aravalli range faces increasing threats due to deforestation, mining, grazing, and human encroachment, the action plan states. 'Forest lands around Sariska and Bardod Wildlife Sanctuaries were diverted before the 1980s, reducing its forest cover. Desertification is exacerbating as desert sands move eastward, compromising regions like Gurugram and Alwar. Mining activities have damaged aquifers, dried up lakes, and reduced the range's ability to support wildlife. The Supreme Court of India has acknowledged the importance of the Aravalli ranges in several judgments, issuing rulings to prevent mining, construction activities, and encroachment,' the executive summary of the detailed action plan for the Aravalli Green Wall states. HT has reviewed the plan. The project proposes to establish a buffer zone covering 6.45 million hectares around the Aravalli range. Restoration will follow an integrated landscape approach, focusing on improving forest cover, restoring grasslands, managing livestock, and enhancing water systems through traditional and scientific methods. Specific interventions will include planting native species in degraded forests, fostering savannah-like ecosystems in grasslands, and utilising water conservation techniques to restore grasslands and preserve moisture, the plan states, adding that key focus areas include wildlife corridors, and water catchments. Community institutions, civil society organisations, and state agencies will collaborate to implement it. Based on satellite analysis, the total treatable area is about 2.70 million ha according to the plan. In the first phase the priority areas for intervention will be forest areas with vegetation degradation, followed by forest areas affected by water erosion, the plan adds. 'Given the scarcity of land it would be better to target the forest area with high levels of degradation and conserve and protect forests which are showing signs of degradation,' the plan states. In Delhi for instance, the first phase will involve treatment of Recorded Forest Area in Delhi which is limited to South Delhi covering 3,010.39 ha. In Haryana, it will be on treatment of Recorded Forest Area in Haryana which is 24,990.16 ha across Bhiwani, Mahendragarh, Gurugram, Faridabad and Rewari. The plan recommends the planting of 42 local species in Delhi. These include: Khair (Indian Gum Arabic), Ronjh (White-barked Acacia), Desi Babool (Gum Arabic), Bael Patra (Wood Apple), Dhau (Axlewood), Neem, Amaltas (Golden Shower), Goolar (Cluster Fig), and Peepal (Sacred Fig). 'As per nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement, India aims to create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through improving forest and tree cover and, under its commitment to Bonn Challenge, aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. So this project is critical in order to achieve those goals,' one of the people said. 'The Aravallis have defined the landscapes of northern India. They have crafted the drainage pattern in large parts of northern India. The forests, grasslands and wetlands of Aravallis are uniquely placed to harbour great diversity. We have several national parks and sanctuaries in the larger Aravallis landscapes. The existence of several cities such as Gurugram, Alwar, Jaipur and many more is possible due to the surface water provided and groundwater recharged. We have brilliant forests of Dhok, Dhak, Salar, Jaal, Kaim and savannah and grasslands of several kinds that are very important for the biodiversity of the region,' said Vijay Dhasmana, curator of Aravalli Biodiversity Park and eco-restoration expert. 'The Aravallis are among the oldest fold-mountain ranges. Delhi is at the extreme end of the range and we know that local species are lost. As the name suggests, the government is keen to develop Aravallis as the green wall against desertification. If the local ecology is restored naturally wildlife of this region can be revived. We have found significant potential and highlighted that Haryana Aravallis have hyenas, leopards, wolves, other small cat species and a rich diversity of birds,' said Bilal Habib, scientist, WII. 'Effective restoration will require zoning protection and declaring entire Aravallis as legal forests. For example, in NCR, the current Regional Plan 2021 has a Natural Conservation Zone that virtually bans real estate construction in the Aravallis with a 0.5% limit on construction. This must be kept in the 2041 Regional Plan for NCR. Similarly in Gurugram and Faridabad, more than 50% of the Aravallis are outside the Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in a forest status to be decided category. These must be declared as deemed forests as per dictionary meaning, so they get protection under the Forest Conservation Act,' said Chetan Agarwal, a forest analyst based in Gurugram.
