Indigenous Tejas fighter jet (Image for representation)
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: After a year of delay, US arms major General Electric has finally delivered the first F404 engine that will power the home grown Tejas light combat-Mk1A aircraft, being manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
“On March 25, we were excited to deliver the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to our valued customer HAL for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A fight jet. It is an important milestone in our 40-year relationship with HAL,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
As per the original contract, the engine supply was to begin from March 2024, but GE failed to deliver it, citing supply chain constraints. Subsequently, the issue was taken up at the highest level between India and US governments.
The commencement of supply by the US defence major is expected to help the HAL start delivering the jets to the IAF with sources noting that the Bengaluru-based aviation major may take a few months to roll out the first aircraft fitted with the new engines.
The Defence Ministry in 2021 signed a more than Rs 45,000 crore deal with the HAL to supply 83 fighter jets.
“GE Aerospace’s F404-IN20 engine was selected for the single-engine Tejas in 2004. The F404 demonstrated it was an excellent fit for the Tejas LCA. On its first test flight in 2008, the aircraft climbed to numerous mission altitudes and achieved Mach 1.1 speed,” Shawn Warren, General Manager, Combat & Trainer Engines, GE Aerospace said in a statement.
Warren said by 2016, GE Aerospace delivered all the 65 F404-IN20 engines for the Tejas LCA and with no additional engine orders on the horizon, the production line for F404 was shut down.
“However, when HAL ordered an additional 99 engines in 2021 for the Tejas Mk1A LCA, our team began the complex task of restarting the production line, which had been dormant for five years, and re-engaging the engine’s global supply chain,” he said.
“Restarting a jet engine production line is a challenging process. Restarting the F404-IN20 engine line during the COVID pandemic was even more challenging," he added.
Sources said GE was likely to supply 12 engines in the first year and the numbers are likely to go from the second year. Depending on the engine supply, the HAL too will increase its production capacity of Tejas LCA Mk-1A.
The Indian Air Force is currently struggling with a dwindling squadron strength and rely heavily on Tejas LCA MK-1A to make up for the numbers. The Defence Ministry plans to buy 180 of these indigenous fighters for the IAF by 2031-31.
“The F404-IN20 engine is a tailored design for India’s single-engine fighter with the highest thrust within the F404 family and a higher-flow fan, unique single-crystal turbine blades, and numerous special components. GE Aerospace and Tejas teams collaborated closely for several years to customize it for the needs of the IAG,” Warren said in the statement.