NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: India on Friday inked an over $1 billion (Rs 8,900 crore) deal with US major General Electric (GE) for another 113 jet engines to power the much-delayed indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighters. This may to some extent assuage the Donald Trump administration amid tariff tensions. The delivery of the 113 new GE-F404 engines to defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics will take place in the 2027-2032 timeframe, adding to the delayed supply of 99 engines ordered under a Rs 5,375 crore deal in Aug 2021. With the deal being inked in Bengaluru, HAL chief D K Sunil told TOI, “We have 11 Tejas aircraft ready, including four fitted with new GE engines. We are moving towards certification, and the aim is to deliver the first 10 jets to IAF by the end of March next year.” Tejas Mark-1A production has also been hobbled by pending trials of Astra beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, the advanced short-range air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs as well as their integration with the Israeli-origin Elta ELM-2052 radar and fire control system. Down to just 29 fighter squadrons when 42.5 are authorised, IAF is banking upon 180 ‘improved’ fourth-generation Tejas Mark-1A fighters to shore up its depleting numbers. Pakistan has 25 fig-hter squadrons and is slated to get at least 40 J-35A fifth-generation Chinese stealth jets. China has over four times the number of fighters, bombers and force-multipliers as compared to India. The first contract for 83 Tejas Mark-1A fighters was in Feb 2021 for Rs 46,898 crore, while another 97 were ordered for Rs 66,500 crore on September 25 this year. Deliveries of the 83 jets are yet to begin. “Engines have the most lead time. Keeping that in mind, we started negotiations for the 113 new engines with GE even before we inked the 97 Tejas contract with IAF,” Sunil said. He added, “Results of the data from trials involving Astra and ASRAAMs are being analysed. In Nov and Dec, we plan to begin bombing trials. If GE delivers 10 engines in time, we don’t see any reason for delay in handing over 10 aircraft by the end of this fiscal.” HAL is also negotiating co-production of the more powerful GE-F414 engines in the 98 Kilonewton thrust class in India, with 80% of transfer of technology for around $1.5 billion, for the Tejas Mark-2 fighter.
