India is approaching an agreement worth approximately one billion USD with the US GE company to supply 113 GE-404 engines for an indigenous combat aircraft, press agency or, quoting unnamed officials.
This agreement comes in the middle of the new US tariff measures by India on Wednesday, August 27, increasing the total burden on Indian goods to almost 50 percent.
The Indian state-owned company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has already concluded an agreement for 99 GE-404 engines with an American company for the initial 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter nozzles ordered by the Indian Air Force and these 113 would be in addition, the press agency said.
The agreement comes early after the center has cleaned up £62 000 crore agreements for buying 97 other LCA Mark 1a Fighter Aircraft.
Defense officials also said that negotiations on the purchase of 113 GE-404 engines from the American company GE for 97 LCA are almost final. The agreement is likely to be completed by September this year.
The agreement is expected to help HAL to get the complete requirement of 212 GE-404 engines in continuity and prevent any types of delay in motor vans.
HAL works to deliver the first 83 aircraft by the end of 2029-30 and another dose of 97 LCA Mark 1as to 2033-34, they said.
The American GE is expected to supply two engines per month from now on to fulfill its obligation for the Indian program.
The HAL also negotiates an agreement with GE for the purchase of its GE-414 engines with 80 % technology transfer.
The Indian side requires 200 GE-414 engines for its LCA Mark 2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The agreement of approximately $ 1.5 billion is likely to be signed in the next few months and the negotiations have long been on it, the officials said.
The Indian side requires 162 engines for LCA Mark 2 and 10 more for five AMCA prototypes.
The program will help IAF replace its MiG-21s fleet, which the government finally evokes in the coming weeks.
“Great Support to Support Indigenization”
The indigenous fighter project is fully supported by the Ministry of Defense and the Air Directorate and is set to support indigenization and also provides significant business to small and medium -sized enterprises involved in defense business throughout the country, defense officials said.
India is already working on a project of indigenous fighter aircraft and will cooperate with the French company Safran.
The aim of India is to achieve self -confidence in the defense sector through indigenization and also acquires technologies from various global sources.
The indigenous fighter project is fully supported by the Ministry of Defense, which has become a major support to support indigenization.
The day before another 25 % of the United States tariffs were to be kicked and effectively increase import obligations in India to 50 %, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 August advocated “Swadeshi” and “Make in India”.
(Tagstotranslate) indigenous fighter aircraft
