The Indian city that's powering up to be a hub for manufacturing jet engines

By Girish Linganna | First Published Jul 6, 2023, 8:38 AM IST

The leaders of the United States and India have signed deals to speed up cooperation in the defence industry. This could include making General Electric F414 Engines for future aircraft together. And Bengaluru is turning into the hub for manufacturing jet engines, says Girish Linganna.

GE Aerospace is working with the United States government to get the export permission it needs so that India and the US can make the F414-INS6 engine together. The leaders of the US and India have agreed to speed up their work together in the military industry. This could include making General Electric (GE) F414 engines for future combat aircraft together. The deals were made after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden held discussions in Washington on June 22. A new agreement between GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to make fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is one of the most important components of the deal.

A partnership to revolutionize fighter jet engines for IAF

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The memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a “major milestone” of Modi’s trip to the US, according to GE Aerospace. It is also a “key element in strengthening defence cooperation” between the two countries, the company says, adding that the deal could include “potential joint production” of GE Aerospace’s 98 kN F414 INS06.

“GE Aerospace is still working with the US government to get the export permission needed for this,” the company said in a statement. The deal will also “advance” its earlier promise to build 99 F414-INS6 engines for the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 2 programme.

GE Aerospace said the MoU would also help India choose the F414-INS6 for India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project prototype development, testing and approval. GE would carry on working with India on the AMCA Mk 2 engine project, the company said in a statement.

The Intricate Aircraft Engine System

One of the most intricate systems on board is the aircraft engine. Its components have very high rotations per minute (rpm), which have to work seamlessly from sea level to regions close to the stratosphere and from nil to supersonic speeds. It must function at high positive and negative ‘g’ levels. Many engine components must operate at extremely high temperatures and speeds.

All of this necessitates incredibly distinctive materials and designs. A modern or contemporary engine may run for thousands of hours. Nearly one-third of a plane’s total cost is often attributed to the power plant.

The Global Turbofan Engine Market

The turbofan engine market is dominated by a limited group of mainly Western rivals. They manufacture both military and commercial engines. The top four manufacturers of turbofan engines for aircraft are Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, GE Aviation and Safran.

CFM International is a partnership between GE and Safran for civilian aircraft. International Aero Engines is a joint venture between German MTU Aero Engines and Japanese Aero-engine Corporation with Pratt & Whitney.

India’s Engine Manufacturing Ecosystem

The Engine Division of HAL was set up in Bengaluru in 1956 for the production of Orpheus Turbo Jet Engines under licence from Rolls Royce. They have worked with numerous other companies.

To date, the division has produced over 3,100 engines and rebuilt and reconditioned over 16,500 engines. They have also exported engine components to such companies as Safran, Rolls-Royce and Honeywell.

The Engine Division, in 1964, started production of MiG-21 R11 engines under licence from the erstwhile Soviet Union. Following that, they built the R25, R29 and RD33 engines for the MiG-21BIS, MiG-27 and MiG-29 under licence from Russia.

To date, the division has produced over 1,300 engines and repaired over 7,000 aero-engines. Repairs, reconditioning and overhauls are also performed.

By employing its specialized 2,000 MT isothermal forge press, the Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has recently developed near-isothermal forging technology for the creation of all the stages (5) of high-pressure compressor (HPC) discs from titanium alloy which is difficult to deform.

It has been collaborating with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI), an enterprise under the defence sector, and HAL. The HPC discs, on which the compressor blades are attached, are a crucial component of the jet engine. The HPC Drum assembly must be replaced frequently.

Challenges that the Kaveri Engine Faces

The Kaveri project assisted India in developing some important technologies and the ecosystem for fundamental design, development, testing, assembly and manufacture is partially in place. There are certainly capability gaps. Getting the fundamental engine right is crucial. Better management and manpower are needed for GTRE.

Bengaluru-based Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) has manufactured the GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri after-burning turbofan engine. It was originally intended to power the HAL Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas but was delinked from the programme in 2008 due to technical and timeline issues. A dry version of the Kaveri is currently being used to power the DRDO Ghatak UCAV.

The Kaveri engine is still under development and Godrej & Boyce has been awarded a contract to produce six more engines for additional testing. The engine successfully passed high-altitude tests in Russia in February 2023. GTRE plans to integrate the Kaveri with the Ghatak UCAV.

The future of the Kaveri engine for fighter aircraft is still uncertain and whether or not external assistance will be sought will depend upon how the development proceeds.

Indian Startup Develops Advanced UAV Engine

An advanced 4.5 kN turbojet engine for large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cruise missiles has recently been developed by Indian DeepTech startup Paninian Aerospace. More engines in the 3-12 kN thrust range are being developed. The engines are being made with the aid of AI and 3D printing technology.

India is looking to develop its own aero-engines, with the private sector likely to be involved. The Safran group firm Turbomeca and HAL have already co-developed the Shakti engine, which powers India’s Dhruv and LCH helicopters. A total of 250 of these are already flying.

The author of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political analyst

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