In a major boost to indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) production, U.S. defense major GE Aerospace on Wednesday announced the delivery of the first of 99 F404 aircraft engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Tejas light combat jet program.
The project for GE-414 jet engines is critical for India’s fourth-generation LCA Mark 2 fighter jets and the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), which are expected to be the mainstay of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the next decade.
The inordinate delays in the supply of General Electric (GE) F404-IN20 engines to HAL had halted the production of the IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft Mk2, intended to strengthen the depleting fleet of combat aircraft, which has dwindled from 42 squadrons to 30 operational squadrons. This has limited reconnaissance, surveillance, patrolling, and critical operations.
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh reiterated last month the “badly off” numbers of fighters in the force, emphasizing that the tardy delivery of the new Tejas MK1A fighter jets was critical to maintaining operational effectiveness.
Tejas is a single-engine, lightweight, multi-role fighter, originally designed to replace the MiG-21. The Tejas Mk1A is a newer and improved version of India’s single-engine, 4.5-generation, delta-wing, multi-role combat aircraft, developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency.
The F404-IN20 engine is specifically tailored for India’s single-engine fighter program, offering the highest thrust within the F404 family. It features a higher-flow fan, unique single-crystal turbine blades, and numerous special components.
The IAF had ordered 83 units of the LCA Tejas Mk1A for ₹46,000 crore in 2021, with deliveries set to begin in March of the same year. An additional 97 units of the LCA Tejas Mk1A, worth ₹67,000 crore, were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in November 2023 to replace the aging MiG-21 fleet with a newer and improved version of India’s 4.5-generation combat aircraft.
While a total of 220 Tejas aircraft, including both Mk1 and Mk1A variants, will join the IAF in the coming years, the deliveries of the LCA Mk-2 and the fifth-generation AMCA are expected only in the next decade. These aircraft will eventually replace the Mirage 2000, MiG-29, and Jaguar jets.
The LCA Mk-2 will feature advanced self-defense capabilities, a higher-thrust engine, and improved maintainability, providing more contemporary technology compared to the LCA Mk-1/1A.
