Milestone in India-US defence cooperation: GE Aerospace inks pact with HAL for production of fighter jet engines

The agreement includes the "potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India", the Ohio-headquartered aerospace company said, adding that it "continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this".

New Delhi:In a major milestone in India-US defence cooperation amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official state visit to the United States, GE Aerospace, the US-based aircraft engine supplier, Thursday announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II -- Tejas.

The agreement includes the "potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India", the Ohio-headquartered aerospace company said, adding that it "continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this". The effort is part of the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft (LAC) Mk2 program, it further noted.

It described the Memorandum of Understanding with HAL as a key element in strengthening defence cooperation between India and the US. "This is a historic agreement made possible by our longstanding partnership with India and HAL," said H Lawrence Culp Jr, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace.

"Our F414 engines are unmatched and will offer important economic and national security benefits for both countries as we help our customers produce the highest quality engines to meet the needs of their military fleet," he said.

GE Aerospace has operated in India for more than four decades. In 1986, it began working with India's Aeronautical Development Agency and HAL to support the development of LCA with F404 engines. The company's F404 and F414 engines are currently part of the LCA Mk1 and LCA Mk2 programs. "In total, 75 F404 engines have been delivered and another 99 are on order for LCA Mk1A. Eight F414 engines have been delivered as part of an ongoing development program for LCA Mk2," the release stated.