Tejas Mark II: As per the MoU to be signed tomorrow between General Electric (GE) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Indian PSU will be required to manufacture at least 500 engines for Mark II, AMCA and TEDBF fighters. In light of this historic agreement of India-US F-414 jet engine deal, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) has rolled out plans to unveil GE-14 prototype by the end of 2024. This prototype will not only be used in Tejas Mark II but will also be utilized in twin-engine advanced multi-role combat aircraft (AMCA-I) and twin-engine deck-based fighter (TEDBF).
Plans to produce six squadrons
The GE-14 will be completely manufactured in India with US Congress approving 100 per cent transfer of technology (TOT) to India. Given that F-414 jet engines that have already procured by the ADA and India Air Force (IAF) has approved design frozen and critical design review, the Mark II should be ready for testing by the end of next year. The plans to produce six squadrons for IAF was necessitated after 83 F-404-powered Tejas Mark I A have been produced and handed over to the military. It has been speculated that HAL Bengaluru division and Nashik division will collaborate with GE to produce 500 aircraft engines.
Meeting the deadline
It is not the first time that HAL will be involved in production of aircraft engines. Earlier, it assembled assembling AL31 FP for the Russian SU-30 MKI. After production of Mark-I is subsided, HAL will solely focus on the production of Mark II fighter as well as the GE-414 engine. As G-14 production has been met it becomes more necessary for timely production of new engine units. There is a speculation that Indian government may employ special-purpose vehicle to produce Mark II fighters to meet the deadlines of IAF. The Tejas Mark II fighter is scheduled to be produced by end of 2027-28.
India in recent years has projected itself as an emerging hub for defense manufacturing and the agreement to be signed tomorrow is an important mark for trajectory of India’s defense industry.
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