Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and US defence giant General Electric Aerospace (GE) are getting ready to start commercial negotiations on producing the cutting-edge F414 jet engine in India, bringing the country one step closer to a long-awaited breakthrough in domestic jet engine manufacturing, according to ET News.
Given that the new power plant will be the foundation of the TEJAS MK-2 fighter jet program, this breakthrough is especially important. The talks, which have lasted for almost two years, are now nearing the end of their process and may result in a formal agreement in the next three months, according to senior officials cited by The Indian Express.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US in June 2023, the agreement was first made public. In August of the same year, the US Congress gave its political approval.
manufacturing of the engines on Indian soil is anticipated to start within three years of the commercial contract being signed, in accordance with the aircraft’s manufacturing schedule and the testing of the TEJAS MK-2 prototype.
Technology transfer, which India has long wanted, is at the centre of these conversations. According to reports, GE Aerospace has consented to transfer 80% of the F414 engine’s essential technology. This is a significant improvement from the 58 percent technology share that was proposed during earlier talks in 2012.
The technologies that will be transferred span a number of high-tech manufacturing fields, including blisk (bladed disc) machining, single-crystal turbine blade machining and coating processes, nozzle guide vanes, and thermal and corrosion-resistant coatings for hot-section components. These are seen to be essential for guaranteeing the long-term effectiveness, robustness, and performance of the engines already in use as well as for enhancing India’s capacity to produce cutting-edge jet engines.
Some crucial technologies will continue to be beyond the purview of the HAL-GE agreement in spite of these noteworthy advancements. These comprise the turbine core, combustion chamber technology, and extremely sensitive compressor design, which are all considered to be the “heart” of any contemporary jet engine.
Only a small number of nations, including the US, Russia, France, and the UK, have complete mastery of these technologies, making them highly protected internationally.
Indian authorities are hopeful that the agreement still marks a significant advancement for the nation’s aspirations in aviation engines, nevertheless. They think that by providing India with the skills to manufacture, maintain, and eventually innovate in sophisticated aerospace technologies, the expanded relationship will significantly strengthen its defence industrial base.
Crucially, officials from the defence ministry emphasised that defense-sector cooperation, especially initiatives of such strategic importance, is not anticipated to be derailed by the present political tensions between the United States and India in other sectors.
The construction of a next-generation high-thrust engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the nation’s future fifth-generation fighter program, is another crucial project with worldwide ramifications that India has started concurrently with the HAL-GE initiative.
By strategically partnering with French aerospace giant Safran to co-develop and produce jet engines for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the nation’s indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, India has made a huge step towards aerospace self-reliance.
With an emphasis on developing a potent new-generation jet engine locally with extensive intellectual sharing and local production capabilities, this agreement, which was announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in August 2025, represents a significant turning point in India’s defence manufacturing.
Speaking recently at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum, military Minister Rajnath Singh emphasised the importance of these partnerships in fostering independence in military industry.
In order to match or outperform international fifth-generation fighters like the U.S. F-35 and Russia’s Su-57, the AMCA program, which has a budget of ₹15,000 crore and is supported by the Cabinet Committee on Security, intends to develop a 25-ton, twin-engine stealth multi-role fighter with super-cruise capabilities, internal weapons carriage, next-generation avionics, and sensor fusion. The Mark 1 version of the aircraft will be powered by current engines, while the Mark 2 version will have the cutting-edge, high-thrust engine that was co-developed with Safran.
The French giant Safran has been chosen by the DRDO as a significant partner for this important project, and discussions have reached an agreement on a co-development framework.
In contrast to the TEJAS MK-2 engine agreement, the DRDO-Safran deal is anticipated to involve complete knowledge transfer, giving India the capacity to develop and produce cutting-edge high-thrust engines domestically in the future. To be officially sanctioned at the political level, the proposal must first receive final clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
He emphasised how partnerships with multinational giants like GE and Safran will not only satisfy India’s short-term needs but also provide the technological framework for upcoming domestic initiatives in the aerospace and defence industries.
When combined, the HAL-GE and DRDO-Safran projects show a two-pronged approach: one partnership aims to use existing but advanced technology to meet the urgent needs of the TEJAS MK-2 program, while the other is focused on co-developing innovative next-generation technology for platforms such as AMCA.
Over the next ten years, India might significantly lessen its reliance on engines imported from overseas, a long-standing weakness in its military aviation ecosystem, if these projects go as planned.
India might become one of the few countries with sophisticated jet-engine design, development, and manufacturing skills if localised F414 engine manufacture and domestic high-thrust engine development with Safran are coupled.
In the strategically important field of aerospace, this milestone would represent a major step towards realising the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) vision.
