Expediting the off-the-shelf supply of GE-F404 jet engines is critical to India's homegrown fighter jet program and timely delivery of TEJAS planes to the IAF

At a time of global geopolitical tumult, defence minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the highest-ranking cabinet minister in the Narendra Modi government, will be visiting the United States from August 23 to 27. While Singh’s visit will help cement India-US defence relations further, it will also lay the ground for Prime Minister Modi’s highly anticipated visit to New York on September 22 to attend the UN’s Summit of the Future.

Incidentally, while Singh is travelling to the US, Modi is embarking on a much-awaited state visit to Poland and subsequently to war-torn Ukraine.

“The visit [of Rajnath Singh] comes in the backdrop of the growing momentum in India-US relations and defence engagements at multiple levels. The visit is expected to further deepen and broaden the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,” the ministry of defence (MoD) said in an official statement. Singh will also chair a high-level roundtable meeting with the US defence industry on ongoing and future defence collaborations.

India-US ties are going through a rough patch after Washington asked New Delhi to come clear on an alleged conspiracy to eliminate Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American-Canadian citizen, on US soil. Moreover, Modi’s visit to Moscow in July has not gone down well with Washington. The US has expressed unease in the past over India’s ongoing ties with Russia, particularly its purchase of Russian oil and defence equipment.

However, the US also understands India’s need to maintain its relationship with Russia, given New Delhi’s dependence on Russian defence supplies and its desire to avoid any adverse impact on strategic calculations, especially in the context of China.

While the US is heading for presidential elections later this year, the key focus of Singh’s visit would be to expedite an off-the-shelf supply of GE-F404 jet engines that power India’s homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS MK-1A fighter. During the visit, discussions are likely to cover pending deals, such as for MQ-9B Predator drones, which are critical for India’s surveillance capabilities, besides joint research initiatives and defence technology transfers under the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).

The delivery of GE-F404 engines is particularly significant as delays have affected the production schedule of the TEJAS fighter jet, central to the modernisation plans of the Indian Air Force (IAF). Singh’s visit is expected to push the deal forward, ensuring that India’s homegrown fighter jet program, which relies heavily on the US, stays on track.

The TEJAS MK-1 and MK-1A variants are powered by the off-the-shelf GE-F404 engines purchased from the US. The IAF, in the recent past, has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the current pace of the TEJAS MK-1A program. The first aircraft from the existing order was scheduled for delivery by March 31, 2024.

However, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has faced repeated delays, with delivery now projected for November 2024. GE Aerospace, manufacturer of the GE-F404 jet engines, has cited supply chain issues as the main reason for the delay in supplying the engines to India.

The F404 series engines are required to produce the 83 TEJAS MK-1A jets ordered by MoD under a contract worth ₹48,000 crore signed in February 2021. HAL has reportedly assured the IAF that it will deliver 16 TEJAS MK-1A jets during the financial year 2024-25 and complete the delivery of all 83 jets by 2029. Moreover, HAL has set up a manufacturing unit in Nashik, which will boost production from the current 16 jets per year to 24 jets.

Any delay in supply of engines will disrupt the production line, leading to delivery backlogs for the IAF. Additionally, the delays could push back key milestones in the development of subsequent variants, including the TEJAS MK-2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which are to be powered by the GE-F414 variant engine.

Besides, New Delhi is eager to finalise the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B Reaper drones being purchased for the Indian Army, IAF and Indian Navy. In 2019, the Donald Trump-led US administration had approved the sale of Predator-B armed drones to India. If it goes through, India will be the first country outside the NATO alliance to get such a weapon from Washington.

The strike capabilities of the Predator drone are well-known. In January 2020, a Predator drone strike by the US had killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad. He was the commander of the powerful Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

The MQ-9B drone can carry payloads of about 1,700 kg over a range of 6,000 nautical miles. It can carry sensors and laser-guided bombs besides air-to-ground missiles, with a maximum payload of two tons.

However, India’s efforts to place anti-ship missiles developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in the MQ-9B drones have received a setback, as makers of the Predators are charging heavily to integrate Indian missiles into the drone’s missile pod.

On the co-production of jet engines, General Electric has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HAL to jointly manufacture F414 fighter jet engines in India. The MoU was signed during the historic official state visit of Prime Minister Modi to the US in June last year.

(With Inputs From Agencies)