New Delhi. American engine manufacturer GE Aerospace on Friday handed over the fifth jet engine to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark-1A. India is expected to receive 12 GE-404 engines by the end of this financial year. HAL was to supply the new aircraft from March, but due to delay in supply of the engine from America, the wait became longer. Now, after the basic problems related to the engine are resolved, there is increased hope of speeding up the production of the aircraft.
India had signed an agreement with HAL in February 2021 for 83 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft worth Rs 48 thousand crore. The contract included 73 fighter jets and 10 trainer aircraft. The Indian Air Force was expected to receive the first consignment in 2024, but in the meantime the company GE Aerospace (GE) stopped the production of F-404 engines. The Defense Ministry on September 25 this year signed a fresh order contract with HAL for additional 97 LCA Mark-1A fighter aircraft, comprising 68 single-seat fighter aircraft and 29 twin-seat trainer aircraft, the delivery of which will be completed over six years, starting in 2027-28.
In this way, HAL has to manufacture 180 aircraft for the Indian Air Force. After a long wait, the company finally handed over the first engine to India on March 26 this year. After this, on July 13, GE sent another engine. HAL received the third GE-404 engine for LCA Mark-1A on September 11. At the same time, the company had promised to deliver another engine by the end of September, which was supplied on September 30. After India gets four engines, the hope has increased that it will pave the way for the production and supply of LCA Mark-1A aircraft. American engine manufacturer GE Aerospace handed over the fifth engine to HAL today. India is expected to receive 12 GE-404 engines by the end of this financial year. These engines will be installed in India’s indigenous light combat aircraft, which is being inducted into the Indian Air Force.
HAL Chairman and Managing Director Dr DK Sunil said HAL is also negotiating 80 per cent technology transfer for GE’s F-414 engines, which will power the advanced LCA Mark-2 and indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Dr. Sunil said that GE had promised us 12 engines in a year, but now perhaps we will get 12 engines by the end of the financial year. This year we may get 10 engines. We will get the remaining engines by March next year. We have made the structure of the 10th aircraft and the 11th aircraft is ready. The basic problems regarding the engine have been resolved, so now production will speed up. GE has promised to deliver 20 engines next year, for which a meeting has been held with the top management.
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