SOURCE: AFI
In a candid assessment of the challenges facing India’s indigenous aerospace industry, Prateek Dhawan, co-founder of DG Propulsion, has called for a concerted effort by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to establish a comprehensive supply chain for turbojet engine development in the country.
Speaking on the sidelines CNN-News18 Interview, Dhawan highlighted the critical gaps in India’s supply chain ecosystem that hinder the development of advanced components necessary for turbojet engines. He urged the MoD to encourage startups and foster a competitive environment that would not only enable firms like DG Propulsion to enhance engine development but also position India as a global player in the turbojet engine market—both for domestic needs and exports.
DG Propulsion, a Delhi-based startup co-founded by Prateek Dhawan and Chirag Gupta, has been making waves in India’s defense and aerospace sector with its DG J40 compact turbojet engine, designed to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other defense applications. The DG J40, with its 40 kgf thrust capacity and proven performance in endurance tests, represents a significant step toward indigenization in a field historically dominated by foreign manufacturers. However, despite such achievements, Dhawan emphasized that the lack of a robust supply chain remains a major bottleneck for scaling up production and increasing indigenous content in turbojet engines.
“India lacks the supply chain infrastructure required for the development of turbojet engines,” Dhawan stated. “This makes it increasingly difficult for firms like ours to develop components locally, forcing us to rely on foreign vendors for critical parts. Without a domestic ecosystem, the pace of engine development in the country remains constrained.”
Turbojet engine development is a complex endeavor that requires precision-engineered components such as turbine blades, combustion chambers, compressors, and electronic control units. These components often demand advanced materials like high-temperature alloys, ceramics, and composites, as well as specialized manufacturing processes such as precision casting, forging, and additive manufacturing. In India, the supply chain for such materials and processes is underdeveloped, with many startups and companies forced to import key components at high costs.
Dhawan noted that this reliance on foreign vendors not only increases production costs but also introduces vulnerabilities in the supply chain, including delays, geopolitical dependencies, and fluctuating prices. For a country aiming to achieve self-reliance in defense manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives, these challenges pose a significant hurdle to scaling up indigenous engine development.
“The absence of a domestic supply chain means we are spending more time and resources sourcing components from abroad,” Dhawan explained. “If we had a local ecosystem of suppliers providing high-quality materials and components at competitive prices, firms like DG Propulsion could focus on innovation and development, rather than grappling with supply chain issues.”
“The MoD can play a pivotal role by focusing on establishing a supply chain that supports turbojet engine development,” Dhawan said. “This could involve setting up dedicated industrial clusters for aerospace components, providing incentives for raw material production, and facilitating partnerships between startups and larger companies like Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) or Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).”
Dhawan also advocated for policies that encourage startups to enter the aerospace sector, particularly in niche areas like turbojet and turbofan engine development. “The MoD should create a startup-friendly environment by offering grants, incubators, and access to testing facilities,” he suggested. “If more companies are encouraged to develop turbojet engines, it will lead to healthy competition, drive innovation, and bring down costs to a price point that the MoD finds viable for procurement.”
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