As the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) considers conflicting offers from France’s Safran and Britain’s Rolls-Royce to jointly build the engine for this fifth-generation stealth fighter, India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program is at a pivotal point.
The choice, which is anticipated by the end of 2025, will have a significant impact on India’s strategic independence and aerospace capabilities for many years to come.
A thorough analysis shows that Rolls-Royce’s proposal offers superior technological advancement, strategic flexibility, and long-term benefits that position it as the best option for India’s ambitious AMCA program, even though both companies have updated their offers to include 100% Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and technology transfer.
Rolls-Royce’s dedication to creating a clean-sheet, sixth-generation engine design especially for the AMCA Mk2 variant is the most convincing distinction in their proposal. This is a significant improvement over Safran’s strategy, which mostly depends on expanding the current M88 engine architecture, a tried-and-true but constrained fourth-generation design created in the 1980s.
A key component of sixth-generation propulsion systems, Rolls-Royce’s solution is centered on Variable Cycle Engine (VCE) technology, which enables the engine to dynamically modify its bypass ratio for maximum performance under various flight conditions. In comparison to traditional fifth-generation engines, this ground-breaking feature allows the engine to transition between high-thrust fighting modes and fuel-efficient cruising configurations, improving range by up to 30% and accelerating 20% faster. This means that the AMCA can maintain continuous supersonic flight without the use of afterburners at the necessary Mach 1.3 speed with more than 72 kN of dry thrust, which is known as increased super-cruise capabilities.
In sharp contrast, Safran’s M88-based approach is still limited by its fourth-generation foundation, even with anticipated enhancements through the T-REX program that will raise thrust to 88 kN. Advanced fifth-generation requirements like extended super-cruise, minimal infrared signatures, and compatibility with cutting-edge technologies like directed-energy weaponry and AI-coordinated systems are all made impossible by the M88’s intrinsic design restrictions. Despite a 20% increase in thrust, even the improved M88 T-REX model retains the same dimensional restrictions and basic design principles that would not be sufficient for the AMCA’s demanding performance requirements.
For India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” plan, the issue of intellectual property rights and technology transfer is a crucial strategic factor. Concerns regarding limited access to core technologies and long-term dependency have been justified by past experiences with French technology agreements.
For India, Rolls-Royce has promised 100% IPR ownership and unhindered knowledge transfer, guaranteeing total control over production, upcoming improvements, and any exports free from royalties and licensing limitations. In order to facilitate domestic innovation and modification capabilities, this commitment also includes the establishment of extensive research and development facilities in India. The proposal from the British corporation expressly backs India’s objective of attaining total strategic autonomy in cutting-edge aero-engine technology.
There are serious issues with Safran’s past performance in this area. Safran insisted on keeping IPR for the engine’s core, which is its most important component, during the 2016–2018 Kaveri–M88 partnership, while transferring only a small amount of knowledge to less important components. India was unable to attain the required degree of technological independence as a result of this strategy, which ultimately caused the collaboration to fail. Safran has changed its position to provide 100% IPR transfer, however the long-term commitment to true knowledge transfer is doubtful given the history of restrictive technology sharing.
The dedication of Rolls-Royce to creating a family of high-thrust turbofan engines with a capacity of 140–280 kN by modifying the AMCA engine’s core with bigger front fans and other technical changes is arguably the most innovative feature of their proposal. This scalability gives India previously unheard-of possibilities to power regional civilian planes envisioned by the National Aerospace Laboratories, as well as medium and heavy-lift transport aircraft for the Indian Air Force and military fighters.
India might become a key player in the global aerospace market because to this multi-platform approach, which lowers lifetime costs across several aircraft programs and generates considerable economies of scale. Being able to sell these engines on its own would provide significant cash streams and improve India’s standing as a supplier of defense technology to friendly countries.
Safran’s M88-based strategy lacks this wider flexibility even if it might have synergies with the current fleet of Rafales. By its very nature, the fighter-centric design philosophy restricts its use to war aircraft, so squandering the chance to establish a comprehensive domestic aerospace ecosystem that may help India achieve its larger aviation goals.
With the AMCA program, India has joined the select group of countries that can produce fifth-generation combatants. But given how quickly technology is developing in military aviation, engines must be able to adapt to sixth-generation platforms, which might replace the Indian Air Force’s fleet of Su-30MKI aircraft by 2045–2050.
The basic upgradeability and modular engine design of Rolls-Royce guarantee that the technology will be applicable for many years to come, with the possibility to scale to 145 kN thrust for future uses. The engine is positioned as the cornerstone of India’s long-term aerospace strategy thanks to the integration of cutting-edge technologies like adaptive cycle technology, complex thermal management, and AI-integrated systems.
Despite anticipated improvements, the fourth-generation architectural limitations of the M88-based method severely restrict further development. Although Safran has pledged to expand the technology of variable cycle engines, there are substantial technical obstacles in integrating such cutting-edge capabilities within the limitations of an already-existing fourth-generation design.
There are significant disparities in the long-term value proposition, strategic vision, and technological ambition between Safran’s M88-based proposal and Rolls-Royce’s sixth-generation clean-sheet design. Safran has the advantage of established connections and tested technology, but these advantages are outweighed by the drawbacks of fourth-generation design and past worries about constraints on technology transfer.
Rolls-Royce is the best option for India’s AMCA program because of its dedication to creating genuinely cutting-edge sixth-generation engine technology, as well as its assured 100% IPR ownership, multi-platform scalability, and thorough technology transfer.
In addition to meeting the fifth-generation fighter’s urgent needs, the proposal lays the groundwork for India’s long-term strategic independence and larger aerospace goals.
Beyond technical requirements, GTRE must make a decision that takes into account India’s aspirations to become a major aerospace force in the world. While Safran’s evolutionary strategy, despite recent advancements, is still limited by its fourth-generation roots, Rolls-Royce’s revolutionary concept provides the technological leap required to realize this goal.
The decision is clear: Rolls-Royce’s sixth-generation engine technology is the best way to achieve technological superiority, strategic independence, and long-term competitiveness in the global aerospace arena if India’s AMCA program is to fully realize its potential as a pillar of future air power.
