Race To Power India’s Skies Is India Poised To Take Control Of Its Aerospace Engine Future?

In the 1990s, as India was focusing on economic reforms, advancing its nuclear capabilities and enhancing its global presence, the country's defence sector began developing a locally made military jet engine, named Kaveri, after a river in southern India. The goal was to create an engine that could power India's fighter jets, reducing reliance on foreign technology.

In India, where self-reliance in industry has been a priority for both Narendra Modi's government and the previous administrations, developing and manufacturing advanced technology domestically-often called 'indigenous' production-is a major national ambition.

Creating advanced fighter jet engines is a highly complex task that demands decades of hands-on experience. Currently, only five countries have the expertise to produce such engines: the US, UK, France, Russia and China. These nations, coincidentally, are also permanent members of the UN Security Council. Beijing is still moving away from relying on Russian equipment and only recently tested a fighter jet with an engine it says was made in China.

Kaveri Propels India's Engine Goals

India was eager to become a part of the elite group. But, despite years of effort put into research, building prototypes and testing, the Kaveri engine project ultimately failed. India was unable to develop an engine powerful enough to support its current Tejas light combat aircraft. Instead, the country now plans to use a version of the Kaveri engine for future drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

India's efforts to create a homegrown military jet engine are now back in full steam. The lessons learnt from working on the Kaveri project, including the mistakes made along the way, could still lead to success in the future. Indian defence industry officials, foreign diplomats and analysts say India, the world's fifth-largest economy, is in advanced talks to develop its first high-quality jet engine under the 'Made in India' initiative.

The project will involve collaboration with a yet-to-be-chosen Western partner. The foreign partner will provide technical expertise, but the engine will be entirely designed and manufactured in India. This makes it the country's first fully 'homegrown' product of its kind. When finished, the engine will be installed in India's forthcoming fleet of fifth-generation advanced fighter jets that are expected to take flight by the mid-2030s.

GE, Rolls-Royce, Safran in a Battle

A behind-the-scenes competition is growing, with companies lobbying, negotiating and offering guarantees about future ownership of intellectual property. Their goal is to become the leading aerospace partner for the country with the largest population in the world. Three major companies are competing for the valuable contract to help India achieve its goals: General Electric (US), Rolls-Royce (UK) and Safran (France).

France and the US are currently India's second- and third-largest defence suppliers after Russia. However, India is gradually moving away from relying on Russian aircraft and military equipment. The partner that New Delhi selects will have significant geopolitical consequences. This decision comes as India's global ambitions are growing, its military competition with China is intensifying and its ties with the US are strengthening. The Modi government is also aiming to secure a place among the world's leading powers, including a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

The three companies and their supporting governments are looking to form a long-term partnership with India. This would involve working together in both defence and civil industries. India, with its fast-growing economy, will still need to depend on foreign technology and equipment for many years.

Douglas Barrie, a senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), explained to the Financial Times (FT) that the appeal was largely due to the sheer size of the opportunity. Over time, India will need a significant number of aircraft as its air force works to replace, and upgrade, its combat aircraft fleet.

Philippe Errera, Safran's executive vice-president for international and public affairs, told FT that India was "extremely important" for the company, both now and for the future. He added that this was not just about military jet engines, but also covered a wider range of defence needs, as well as commercial engines.

Engine Makers Vying for Contracts

Last year, India successfully landed an unmanned spacecraft in the Moon's southern polar region. However, despite years of effort, the country still has not been able to create a reliable, advanced military jet engine. Analysts say that creating a large, powerful engine for a commercial jet is very complicated. It requires decades of experience, including knowing the right materials to use and understanding how to assemble all the different parts together.

Building a military jet engine that can consistently deliver top performance is even more challenging. This is because it needs to handle higher speeds and more stringent performance requirements. This explains why more countries have developed nuclear weapons than the advanced technology needed to keep a fighter jet flying.

Analysts explain that, while large commercial jet engines focus on fuel efficiency, military jet engines are designed to deliver as much power as possible in relation to the aircraft's weight. According to an industry expert who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of military contracts, no other power source, other than nuclear, can match the power density-generate as much power for its size and weight-of a gas turbine. A jet engine and a gas turbine are similar in that work on the same principle of compressing air, mixing it with fuel and igniting the mixture to produce high-speed exhaust gases that generate thrust.

Engine Choice: Defence, Geopolitics

Commercial airliners usually fly on fixed, predictable routes and spend a lot of time at a steady cruising altitude where the speed and conditions are fairly constant. Military jets, on the other hand, need to fly at much higher speeds and have the ability to accelerate quickly for combat or other high-stress scenarios. This difference means that military jets require engines designed for more extreme and fast-changing conditions.

Consequently, such parts as the bearings in the gas turbine need to be designed to handle higher stress levels. Military jet engines also use afterburners, which ignite extra fuel in the exhaust to give a quick boost in thrust when needed.

Adding to the challenge, most fifth-generation fighter jets, such as the one India is planning, will have their engines built inside the aircraft's frame. This design helps reduce radar and infrared signals, making the jets harder to detect. These added complexities make the development and approval process for military engines longer and more complicated.

Prasobh Narayanan, a senior aviation analyst at Janes in Bengaluru, explains that India is facing a technological challenge with gas turbines. He says India has not been able to overcome this issue on its own and requires external assistance to move forward. India's work on developing the Kaveri engine in the 1990s happened during a period of serious strategic difficulties, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had been its main military supplier.

At the same time, New Delhi was in conflict with Washington over its nuclear weapons programme and started building military relationships with other countries, such as France, for alternative supplies. The situation is very different now. India has an improved relationship with the US and, over the past two years, the two countries have increased cooperation in defence and technology, partly due to India's shifting view of threats. India now sees China, rather than its long-time rival Pakistan, as the bigger threat.

Since Modi came to power in 2014, he has increased efforts to attract foreign defence companies to India and push for more local manufacturing in the defence sector. He has encouraged private companies, such as Tata, Adani and Mahindra to start producing defence equipment, including personnel carriers and drones.

Despite the entry of major Indian companies into the defence market over the past decade, they have not been able to compensate for the shortcomings of state-owned companies, especially Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's largest aerospace manufacturer. India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and HAL are expected to be the Indian partners in developing the new jet engine.

India dropped its plans to build French Rafale jets locally under the 'Make in India' initiative and decided to buy 36 imported jets in 2016 instead. India is still the largest importer of defence equipment, which is something the country is not proud of, especially since it aims to increase its own industrial exports and create much-needed jobs.

According to FT, the IISS's Barrie says China will become more active in exporting combat aircraft, using its own engines instead of Russian ones. However, he believes China is unlikely to compete in the traditional Western markets.

For many years, the major global aero-engine companies have been involved in India. They have formed partnerships with local companies and established manufacturing facilities within the country. Rolls-Royce engines powered the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) very first flight back in 1933. Today, Safran is the main provider of turbine engines for India's military helicopters.

During Modi's state visit to Washington last year, GE revealed its plans to provide India with its advanced F414 engines for the forthcoming Tejas Mk-2 fighter jets. The agreement also includes the possibility of jointly manufacturing the F414 engines in India. At the time, GE indicated that this deal gave it a strong position for future projects. The American company stated that it would keep working with the Indian government on the engine programme for more advanced fighter jets.

Tech Transfer: Key to Engine Deal

India is determined to create its own military jet engine, supported by substantial financial investments. In March, the Cabinet Committee on Security gave the green light to $1.8 billion in funding to support the production, testing and certification of five prototypes for the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA) programme over the next five years.

Indian officials have mentioned that the planned jet could be introduced into the IAF by the early- to mid-2030s. This has sparked discussions among defence analysts, who believe India will soon choose a partner for developing the 'indigenous' jet engine. Both Rolls-Royce and Safran have expressed their readiness to collaborate with HAL to jointly develop a custom engine. This partnership would involve a complete transfer of intellectual property to India, allowing the engine to be included in future exports.

The Three Partnership Proposals

1. Rolls-Royce Partnership: Rolls-Royce, a British company, has highlighted its strong presence in India, which spans over 90 years and includes various collaborations across different parts of its business. Alex Zino, director of future programmes for Rolls-Royce's defence division, told FT they were looking at a significant shift, emphasizing that now was the right time to collaborate in developing intellectual property and capabilities within India. Zino said, if India partnered with Rolls-Royce, it would have the freedom to use, upgrade, or modify the co-developed engine.
2. Proposal from Safran: Safran is also offering India the same flexibility, allowing full ownership of any engine technology it co-develops with HAL. According to Safran executive Errera, says FT, the French company's offer would provide India with 'strategic independence', allowing the country to design, develop and manufacture advanced military jet engines domestically, besides exporting them.
3. GE IP Sharing Formula: In contrast, GE's offer would hold back a small part of the intellectual property on any jet engine they co-developed in future, according to two sources familiar with the plan, says FT. One source explained that the US might want to keep certain aspects-that is restrict full sharing of some key technologies in the co-development process-for national security reasons. Some analysts say US officials are cautious about India's strong ties with Russia. This could make Washington and GE hesitant to fully share their valuable technology with India. GE chose not to comment on the matter.

Factors that are Favouring GE

Even though India and the US are working more closely together, especially in defence, India still maintains relationships and trade connections with such countries as Russia and Iran, which are not on friendly terms with Washington. On the positive side for GE, the growing geopolitical ties between India and the US are working in its favour. This partnership is part of a shared strategy to strengthen the "Indo-Pacific" region as a counterpoint to China's influence.

India is already using several US defence systems, such as helicopters, howitzers and transport aircraft. Additionally, it is close to finalizing a major deal with General Atomics for long-endurance drones. Amit Cowshish, a retired senior official from India's defence ministry, told FT he believed the American offer was the most credible one. The Americans may be pushing harder due to the influence they have, which is far greater than that of any other country.

France's LEAP Support for India

France has emphasised its growing relationship with India as part of its appeal. Safran, which currently employs nearly 3,000 people in India, expects this number to increase as it continues to expand its operations in the country. The French company, with its government owning an 11% stake, is planning to open a maintenance facility in Hyderabad, the aerospace and tech hub in southern India's Telangana state, by next year. The facility will provide support for Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (LEAP) engines, which Safran produces through its joint venture with GE Aerospace and CFM International. These engines power most of the Airbus A320 commercial jets.

LEAP engines-a type of high-efficiency aircraft engine known for incorporating advanced materials and technology and developed by CFM International-are designed to provide better fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions and lower operating costs for commercial jets. They are commonly used in such aircraft as the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX.

Safran's chair, Ross McInnes, in a speech at India's Defence Conclave earlier this month, emphasised France's longstanding support, stating that it had supported India through all challenges, says FT. He added that other Western partners did not offer the same level of support, saying that France was the only Western nation that stood by India following the controversy over its 1998 nuclear tests.

Errera of Safran reinforced this idea, stating that India's relationship with France offered "greater predictability and stability" compared to that with other countries. Unlike the US, where major defence deals require approval from Congress, the French government can approve any future cooperation more easily.

Delhi Must Accelerate Efforts

India's government and HAL have not yet provided any details on when they will release the first 'request for information' to possible engine partners. India's defence sector, mostly controlled by the government, often progresses slowly and lacks transparency. However, analysts and officials believe Delhi will need to speed up its efforts to stay competitive in defence. If India does not make a decision soon about its engine programme, it risks missing the deadline.

(The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: [email protected])