US Congress Greenlights India-US Fighter Engine Deal

The agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics to develop F414 fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force received approval from the US Congress, which is a significant boost to defense cooperation between India and the US.

The agreement, which was made between GE Aerospace and HAL, is extremely significant because it calls for the production of F-414 jet engines in India for the LCA Mk2 light combat aircraft, which is still in the development stage. An important change from the US’s usually protective approach to jet engine technology is the agreement’s large transfer of technology (ToT), which is estimated to be at approximately 80%.

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The agreement is important since the US considers jet engine technology to be its “crown jewel” and hasn’t shared it with even its closest friends. India, on the other hand, has lagged behind in jet engine technology, a gap that the deal can close, supporting both India’s aim to establish a domestic defense industrial base as well as its aerial strength, particularly in light of its tenuous position with China at the Line of Actual Control.

Officials from the US administration have admitted that the GE contract may serve as a template in the future since it allays India’s worries about tech transfer and co-production while also advancing US goals of closer military ecosystem and platform integration.

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The ToT will cover 11 crucial sectors, several of which were completely off-limits a decade ago when GE and India’s Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) first started discussing the possibility of producing the engines there. At the time, the US only agreed to a 58% technology transfer, which prevented India from obtaining a number of crucial engine technologies.

The resulting aircraft, designated as the LCA Mk2, incorporates a number of improvements that enhance its capabilities over its predecessors. It will be equipped with a diverse selection of weapons and boasts better speed, range, and payload capacity.

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