In order to co-develop a new engine intended to power India’s domestic fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), French aerospace giant Safran has agreed to provide all of its fighter jet engine technology, including crucial hot section technology, to India, according to the Economic Times.
With Safran working closely with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), namely its Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), under Indian intellectual property rights, this full technology transfer is unprecedented in the world.
Several Indian private sector companies, including Tata Group, Larsen & Toubro, and Adani Defence, will collaborate to design and produce the engine, which is anticipated to produce 120–140 kN of thrust.
Nine engine prototypes are the goal of the proposed program, which will cost around $7 billion and take ten to twelve years to complete. Prototype flights are anticipated by 2028, and full-scale production is anticipated by 2035. In addition, Safran has consented to the prospect of establishing an assembly line in India for the M88 engines that drive Rafale aircraft, subject to additional orders from the Indian Air Force.
The complete transfer includes cutting-edge innovations like single-crystal blade technology, which is essential for managing high engine temperatures and stresses and allows India to become an expert in important engine parts like turbines and compressors.
Because earlier domestic attempts, like as the Kaveri engine, failed to achieve thrust standards, India now mainly depends on foreign technology for fighter jet engines. Since jet engine technology is regarded as the highest level of military aerospace technology and is necessary to achieve total self-reliance, this agreement fills a vital gap.
In order to completely enhance its domestic aerospace ecosystem, experts have urged India to develop a plan for absorbing the transferred technologies.
In Hyderabad, Safran has opened the country’s first worldwide Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility for LEAP engines. This facility supports commercial aviation demands and is in line with the Indian government’s plans to build up local aerospace maintenance capacity.
In addition to providing popular narrow-body aircraft engines, the facility seeks to minimise costs, generate high-value jobs, and lessen reliance on foreign services. In addition to transferring engine knowledge, Safran and Bharat Electronics Limited formed a joint venture to manufacture air-to-ground weaponry in India, demonstrating an expanding defence cooperation.
By strengthening the capabilities of Made-in-India fifth-generation fighter jets and establishing India as a major global aerospace hub, this relationship represents a major step towards India’s goal of developing indigenous aircraft engines and gaining greater strategic autonomy in defence aerospace technology. The
