New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): Crucial commercial negotiations between India and the United States for GE-414 jet engines are underway and are expected to conclude by March 2026, defence officials confirmed. “We anticipate signing the GE-414 engine deal by the end of this financial year,” officials said.
The engines are integral to the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 2 project, which is slated for induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF) within the next four years. The agreement, pending for a considerable time, involves discussions between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and GE Aerospace to manufacture the engines in India.
Meanwhile, India received its second GE-404 engine from the US on Monday for the LCA Mark 1A fighter jet programme, officials added. The engine was received by HAL, which is expected to receive 12 more GE-404 engines by the end of the fiscal year. These engines will be installed on LCA Mark 1A aircraft.
The engine deliveries had been delayed by over a year due to supply chain issues faced by the American manufacturer. The IAF has ordered 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets, with a proposal to procure 97 additional aircraft now at an advanced stage following Defence Ministry approval.
Earlier this year, GE Aerospace delivered the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL for the LCA Mk 1A jets. HAL plans to integrate the engines and deliver over 10 aircraft to the IAF soon.
Recently, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, PK Misra, visited HAL’s Bengaluru facilities to review both the LCA Mark 2 and Mark 1A programmes. The Mark 2 is expected to eventually replace older fleets such as the Mirage 2000, Jaguar, and MiG-29 around 2035.
India plans to build over 400 indigenous LCA aircraft over the next decade using variants of the American GE engine. (ANI)
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