The most significant outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark first state visit to the United States of America (USA) is the inking of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between General Electric (GE) Aerospace and the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal, inked on Thursday, draws a line under Washington’s technology-denial regime which began after India’s nuclear tests in Pokhran in 1998 and had obstructed Delhi’s pursuit of advanced combat jet engine technology. As the GE Aerospace Press statement put it, the pact marks “a major milestone… and is a key element in strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries”.
This is no hyperbole. For, the deal includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India, for which the aerospace major is working with the US government to receive necessary export authorisation, widely expected to be a formality. The IAF is in dire need of this jet engine. The indigenous Kaveri jet engine project that began in 1986 had to be shut down by the Indian government because of a lack of progress despite attempts to revive it with the help of French engine-maker Snecma. This galvanised the IAF to emphasise to the Defence Ministry the need to seek foreign engines to meet its immediate requirements.
Especially significant is the need for India to maintain strategic parity in the region; it requires jet engines that can match or exceed China’s advancements. A high-thrust engine is essential for India’s fighter jet programmes such as the Tejas Mk2 and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). The GE F414 offers the necessary thrust levels to meet these requirements and is expected to be a good fit for the Tejas Mk2 ~ a substantially heavier fighter jet than the LCA Tejas Mk1.
This would enable the Tejas Mk2 to carry a payload of more than six tonnes compared to the three-andhalf tonnes carried by the LCA. The increased payload and advanced electronic systems of the Tejas Mk2 demand a higher level of thrust and electrical power and the F414 engine, with a maximum thrust of 98 kN, is considered by experts as well-suited for the Tejas Mk2. It may be recalled that the indigenous Kaveri engine programme suffered from various technical difficulties and significant delays.
The engine was unable to produce sufficient thrust, suffered poor performance at high altitudes, and had excessive weight. Further, it was only able to produce thrust which was much lower than the targeted 81 kN. An additional impediment was the lack of testing facilities in India; inadequate funding severely hampered the programme too. It is to the Prime Minister’s credit that despite his emphasis on the Make-in-India scheme, especially for the defence sector, he has not hesitated to ensure the Indian armed forces get what they need.
That Mr Modi’s American interlocutor President Joe Biden has delivered on the technology transfer aspect of the deal must be appreciated as well, considering the pressure on him from the left-radical (in the American context) cabal in the Democratic Party. It is a big deal.