New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) and American aviation giant GE have signed an agreement to set up an in-country depot facility for the F404-IN20 engines to enhance repair and overhaul infrastructure supporting sustainment and availability of the powerplant of the Tejas LCA fleet.
The depot facility will be owned, operated, and maintained by the Indian Air Force with GE Aerospace providing technical inputs, training, support staff, and the supply of necessary spares and specialized equipment, a statement by GE said.
“Through the upcoming depot facility, we will support the availability of the F404-IN20 engines for the Indian Air Force, ensuring they have ready access to cutting-edge technology to power their defense needs,” said Rita Flaherty, Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Defense & Systems at GE Aerospace.
Sources said that once operational, the IAF facility will eliminate the need to depend on overseas repair centres, significantly improving turnaround times. They explained that currently, foreign engines are usually sent back to the home country for any kind of major repairs which brings down the availability ratio of the fighters. At times it takes several months for the engines to go and come back.
They further said that IAF engineers and technicians will be trained on the GE F404-IN20 engines to do the repairs. Necessary tooling and spare parts will be kept in required numbers to ensure that the turnaround time is shorter.
The IAF inducts about 200 Aero engineers every year who are then trained.
Incidentally, GE has fallen short of its contract to deliver the Tejas engines to India. Till now, it has delivered only six engines as part of a contract signed in 2021.
It is expected that the engine delivery will be streamlined by middle of this year. Both HAL and IAF are waiting with fingers crossed because GE has kept revising its timelines. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had also raised the issue of engine delivery with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth last year.
Another key project in the works between both sides is the joint production of F414 engines between GE and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) that will power the Tejas MK 2 aircraft as well as the first lot of 5th generation fighter aircraft called AMCA. A formal contract is expected to be signed towards the end of this financial year.
Other than the Tejas, GE Aerospace engines also power the Indian Navy’s P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and MH60R helicopters, as well as the Indian Air Force’s AH-64 Apache helicopters, while LM2500 marine gas turbines provide the power for INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and the P-17 Shivalik-class frigates.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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