TRICKY EMBRACE

The F414 aero-engines deal could take India’s reliance on the US to new heights

- SANJIB KR BARUAH

When US President Joe Biden hosts Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, DC, on June 22, a key item on the table is a deal for the powerful GE F414 engines for the Tejas Mk-2 fighter. The deal is vital because the Indian Air Force is reeling under a critical shortage of fighters. It needs 756 fighters for a possible two-front war scenario as against the 560 aircraft it operates at present.

“Our insistence is on total transfer of technology, so we are working out the details. It is a definitive development and holds a lot of potential for manufacturing an entire range of fighter aircraft,” said an official. The state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will partner US defence major GE in the new deal.

India had pursued the dream of an indigenous aero-engine on an indigenous aircraft since 1986. But the indigenous ‘Kaveri’ engine—despite nine prototypes—could not make the cut even after costing a lot time and money. The first indigenous fighter Tejas, inducted into the IAF in 2016, was, therefore, fitted with a GE F404 engine bought off the shelf. There was no transfer of technology. But in the new deal, only the initial batch of the F414 engines will be supplied by the US, the subsequent batches will be manufactured in India after total tech transfer.

The deal, however, is a loaded one. There is a strong likelihood that the F414 or its upgraded variants will be locked in as the engine of choice for several other types of fighter aircraft that India plans to produce. In effect, it will tie India to the US in a manner not seen before.