The deal will give wings to the TEJAS LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) project. The big question is whether HAL and other defence research institutions can build on the F414 deal with GE to revive the failed Kaveri engine project. An indigenously designed jet engine is key to our aerospace aspirations

The US has agreed to a key deliverable that will be inked in Washington and this pertains to the manufacture of the US-made F414 jet engines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US (June 21-23) has aroused considerable interest and expectation from different quarters and it is being heralded as one that might prove to be “historic” and “transformational” – particularly in the defence sector.

Ahead of the visit, it has been indicated that the US has agreed to a key deliverable that will be inked in Washington and this pertains to the manufacture of the US-made F414 jet engines. The US Congress is being notified about an impending MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) to be signed between GE (General Electric) and HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited). These jet engines will power the Indian Tejas LCA (Light Combat Aircraft) Mk2, which has been handicapped by the failure of the indigenous Kaveri engine – and the inability to obtain an appropriate alternative.

Optimism About The Deal

Reports from Washington are very optimistic and this deal has been described as a case of the US sharing its “crown-jewel” as far as its defence technology is concerned. Furthermore, it is being highlighted that this is the first time that the US is engaging in such commerce with a non-military ally nation.

One official expansively interpreted the deal thus: “It is transformative. India will have access to the full engine. There are no black boxes here. The manufacturing in India is going to start with technology sharing of way over 50 percent which rises over the production cycle. There will be a flexible licensing agreement. India will have designs and sensitive technology. This is more tech transfer than the US has ever authorised. We are breaking through into new frontiers.”

While this breakthrough in relation to jet-engine manufacturing in India is to be welcomed, for it will give a much needed fillip to the Tejas fighter, the fine print of the manufacturing knowhow and the design transfer between GE and HAL will have to be studied carefully for its technology transfer detail and protocol and long-term implications.

The Self Reliance Question

It has been an Indian aspiration to acquire a credible degree of indigenously designed defence manufacturing capability but this has been elusive. Decades of acquiring military inventory from the former USSR and now Russia has led to proven competence in assembling parts but very little design skills were acquired.

Barring the underwater nuclear propulsion success (INS Arihant) with assistance from Russia – the Indian track-record is dismal. Thus India is in the top tier of arms importers and the Modi focus on “aatmanirbharta” (self-reliance) is to be applauded, though the journey will be arduous.

Specific to the aviation sector, HAL – a defence PSU (public sector undertaking) in Bengaluru dominates the eco-system and has had very limited success in nurturing indigenous design and manufacturing capability. Numerous structural constraints often associated with the Indian public sector have plagued this domain and this has to be overcome. One hopes that the GE-HAL deal will provide the necessary traction.

However, as is well established globally – no major design and manufacturing entity/nation parts with the core knowhow of the “crown jewel”. Hence it will be instructive to see how the proposed 50 percent plus technology share that is being mooted in the F414 agreement will translate into ground reality. Over and above this, the ability of HAL to absorb what is being offered in an efficient and seamless manner will be the litmus test.

The Kaveri Engine Failure

The most relevant strand will be the long-term impact of the GE cooperation as regards the inchoate Kaveri engine. Being able to design and manufacture a world-class jet engine is a high necessity skillset and India has yet to acquire this capability.

The Kaveri seed was planted in 1986 under DRDO’s aegis and it has had a chequered trajectory. The first prototype engine was tested in 1996 and by 2004 it was flying in a Russian test-bed but with limited success. Since then the Kaveri has become a stepchild and attempts at acquiring a foreign partner to co-develop the engine have been abortive. And in an inexplicable policy decision, DRDO closed the project in 2014.

Will India be able to revive the Kaveri against the backdrop of the GE-HAL deal for the F414 engine? HAL and other institutions will have to invest in design capability, and some innovative partnership models will need to be evolved and supported with adequate funding.

India’s Aerospace Aspirations

Remaining dependent on the GE engines without trying to develop an indigenously designed engine will inhibit India’s long term aerospace aspirations. In this context, China’s hard-won success with its WS-10 aero engine project should serve as a motivator.

As Admiral Arun Prakash, former naval chief and war-decorated fighter pilot, has cautioned: “Historically, all major aerospace powers have possessed the capability to design airframes as well as power-plants. Until India can design and produce its own aero-engines, the performance and capabilities of any indigenously designed/built aircraft will be seriously limited by the technology that we are permitted to import.”

Thus while the deal with GE is to be welcomed, India’s ‘Aatmanirbhar’ index will depend on its ability to bridge the current design gap.

Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (Retd) is Director, Society for Policy Studies, New Delhi. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication