A representative picture of the file. | Photo Credit: Reuters
General Electric (GE) Aerospace on Wednesday (March 26, 2025) announced the first of the 99 F404-in20 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Tejas Light Combat Aircraft MK 1a Fighter aircraft. Defense sources said that 12 engines are expected to be delivered this year.
The first LCA-MK1A power engine moved from the GE device on Wednesday and is expected to arrive in India in April, the official sources in the know said. In February, Aero India in February Hal Chairman and CEO of DK Sunil said that this year will be prepared 12 nozzles.
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As soon as the engine arrives on other tests on the HAL device, the sources said it added that a fixed date of delivery to the IAF cannot be provided yet.
We are on our way to add the latest schedule that we agreed with the halls, GE Aerospace said in response to a question from Hindu.
At the February event, head chief IAF Air Marshal AP Singh, IAF must add 35-40 fighter aircraft every year to fill in the lack of numbers and that the Hal promised to produce 24 Tejas Mark-1a nozzles next year.
Shawn Warren, CEO, Combat & Trainer Engines, GE Aerospace, in his statement he attributed the delay of restarting the production line that was sleeping for five years.
Recalling the Earlier Collaboration for the LCA-MK1 Jets He Said That After Collaborating With the Aeronautical Development Agency in the 1980s, F404-In20 Engine Was Selected in 2004, The F404-In20is and Tailored Design, of the F404 Family Fighter with the Highest Thrust Within F404 Family and A Higher-Flow Fan, Unique Single-Crystal Turbine Blades, and Numerous Special components that adapted it to the needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF). “The F404 showed that it was excellent for LCA Tejas. On the first test flight in 2008, the aircraft climbed to numerous altitudes and achieved MACH 1.1 speeds,” Warren said.
Until 2016, GE Aerospace delivered 65 F404-In20 engines for 40 Tejas, which were ordered earlier and without further orders on the horizon, the production line for the F404-in20 was closed, the statement said. However, when Hal ordered another 99 engines in 2021 for LCA Tejas MK1A, our team started a comprehensive task to restart the F404-in20 production line, which has been sleeping for five years, and the re-involvement of the global engine supply chain, Warren said. “Restarting the current engine production line is a demanding process. Restarting the engine F404-in20 during the Covid Pandemy was even more demanding,” he said, adding that they work closely with their suppliers to increase production on works and materials for the F404-in20.
In Aero India, Mr. Sunil claimed that problems with the GE supply chain were solved and this year would receive 12 F-404 engines for LCA-MK1A. “GE has stabilized its production process for the F404 engines. We have already created three aircraft and 11 will be produced by the end of this year. Once the engines start to come, our delivery to IAF will begin,” he said.
He also said that three Tejas MK1A are flying and by the end of this year one aircraft from Nasik and 11 from Bengalur will be prepared and emphasizes that the current order for 87 LCA-MK1A will be completed in three and a half years and another order for 97 Jets from FY31-32 will be completed for 24 Jet per year.
At the beginning of this month, a high level was set up by the Committee, led by Defense Minister Rajesh Kumar Singh, recommending ways to increase IAF’s ability to identify key tensile areas and issue recommendations for short -term and long -term reports presented to Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh.
The IAF is currently on 31 fighter dogs compared to the sanctioned force of 42.5 squadrons. While the deliveries of a light combat aircraft (LCA) -MK1A are delayed, several existing fighter aircraft-jaguars, MiG-29UPG and Mirage-2000-more will start phase by the end of this decade. Larger and more capable LCA-MK2 evolves, while the advanced medium-fighting aircraft (AMCA), the fifth generation of the country, is at least ten years away.
Published – March 26, 2025 01:06
