- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Under the agreement, GE Aerospace and HAL will explore the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India.
By: India Weekly Staff
IN a significant development, the aerospace division of the US’s General Electric (GE) announced on Thursday (22) that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s public sector company Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to jointly manufacture fighter jet engines for India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II, also called ‘Tejas’. The announcement coincided with prime minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to the US, upon the invitation of president Joe Biden.
Under the agreement, GE Aerospace and HAL will explore the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India.
The US company said it is working with the country’s government to obtain the necessary export authorisation for the collaboration. GE described the MoU with HAL as a “key element” element in strengthening defense cooperation between India and the US.
“The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this,” GE said in a statement in Washington DC, Business Today reported.
H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., chairman and CEO of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace, hailed the agreement as a “historic” one
resulting from the longstanding partnership between GE and India and HAL. Culp expressed pride in contributing to the vision of closer coordination between the two nations, underlining the economic and national security benefits that the advanced F414 engines would provide for both countries.
GE Aerospace has been involved in the Indian aerospace industry for over four decades, engaging in various areas such as engines, avionics, services, engineering, manufacturing, and local sourcing. Apart from potential work in India, several US facilities that currently support F414 engine work will witness increased volume as a result of this collaboration.
GE has been collaborating with the Aeronautical Development Agency and HAL since 1986, providing support for the development of India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) with F404 engines. The F404 and F414 engines have played a significant role in the development and production programmes of LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk2. To date, 75 F404 engines have been delivered for LCA Mk1, with an additional 99 engines on order for LCA Mk1A. Furthermore, eight F414 engines have been delivered as part of an ongoing development programme for LCA Mk2.
“Today’s agreement will advance GE Aerospace’s earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force as part of the LCA Mk2 program. It puts the company in a strong position to create a family of products in India, including the F404 engine that currently powers the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk1A aircraft and GE Aerospace’s selection for the prototype development, testing and certification of the AMCA program with our F414-INS6 engine. In addition, GE will continue to collaborate with Indian government on the AMCA Mk2 engine program,” the statement from GE added.
The F414 engine, with over five million flight hours and operational or ordered aircraft in eight nations, consistently exceeds reliability and performance expectations. Globally, more than 1,600 F414 engines have been delivered. GE’s presence in India includes its research and technology centre, the John F Welch Technology Centre in Bengaluru, established in 2000, and the Multi-modal Factory in Pune, inaugurated in 2015.
