GE to Deliver First of 99 F-404 Engines for Tejas MK 1A Fighter Jets by March-End

GE to Deliver First of 99: GE Aerospace is set to deliver the first of 99 F-404 engines for the Tejas MK 1A fighter jets by the end of March, following a two-year contractual delay.

The delivery comes as part of a $716 million contract signed in 2021 between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). According to sources familiar with the matter, the first engine is already undergoing testing and is expected to be handed over soon.

Under the agreement, 12 engines are scheduled for delivery in 2025, with GE supplying 20 engines per year thereafter to meet its contractual commitments. The delays in engine deliveries have caused concern within the Indian Air Force (IAF), as they have impacted the production timeline of the Tejas MK 1A fleet.

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In parallel, HAL and GE are working together on the more powerful GE-414 engine, which will power India’s future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). This technology transfer agreement was finalised under the India-US iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies) framework, strengthening defence collaboration between the two nations.

Faced with delays in the supply of 83 LCA MK 1 A aircraft by HAL and frustration voiced by none other than the IAF Chief over the same, the Defence Ministry under the Chairmanship of Defence Secretary R. K. Singh has set up a committee to work out a business model for the proposed fifth generation fighter.

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This committee will not go into any technical aspects of the proposed AMCA but will work out a model which involves private sector participation in the fifth-generation program.

While US President Donald Trump has made an offer to supply India with a proven fifth-generation F-35 fighter, the Indian focus is simultaneously looking at the French option, which envisages the manufacture of Rafale fighters along with the M-88 engine in India under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ route.

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