SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
In a groundbreaking development for India’s aerospace sector, Godrej Aerospace, a division of Godrej & Boyce under the Godrej Enterprises Group, has announced its readiness to manufacture a 5th-generation jet engine, a move that could significantly reduce India’s reliance on foreign technology.
Maneck Behramkamdin, Executive Vice President and Business Head of Godrej Aerospace, shared this milestone in an interview with The Economic Times, highlighting the company’s progress and its pivotal role in India’s quest for self-reliance in defense and aerospace manufacturing. The announcement, made on April 2, 2025, underscores Godrej Aerospace’s growing influence in the global aerospace ecosystem and its commitment to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Godrej Aerospace’s journey toward this achievement builds on its long-standing collaboration with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a key arm of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The company has been working on the Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE), a project aimed at developing an indigenous jet engine for India’s defense programs. Behramkamdin revealed that Godrej Aerospace has already completed two critical modules for a 50 kN engine, with six more under development. This engine is a stepping stone toward powering the 5th-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s ambitious stealth fighter jet program led by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
The significance of this development cannot be overstated. If India successfully develops a 5th-generation jet engine, it would mark a monumental achievement, placing the country among a select group of nations with the technological capability to produce such advanced propulsion systems. Currently, only a handful of countries, including the United States, Russia, and France, possess the expertise to manufacture 5th-generation jet engines, which are characterized by their ability to deliver high thrust, stealth features, and supercruise capabilities—allowing aircraft to sustain supersonic speeds without afterburners. For India, which has historically depended on foreign engines for its fighter jets, such as the General Electric F404 for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), this breakthrough could reshape its defense landscape.
Behramkamdin emphasized the transformative potential of this project, stating, “3D printing is driving a paradigm shift in aerospace design, enabling us to create complex shapes and sizes through a single printing process.” This comment reflects Godrej Aerospace’s recent partnership with EOS, an industrial 3D-printing solutions provider, announced on April 1, 2025. The collaboration aims to establish an additive manufacturing-based ecosystem for the Indian aviation and space industries, leveraging advanced technologies to produce intricate components with greater efficiency and precision. This technological edge is crucial for the development of jet engines, which require high-temperature-resistant materials and complex geometries to withstand the extreme conditions of modern aerial combat.
Godrej Aerospace’s involvement in the AMCA program extends beyond engine development. At Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ADA to manufacture flight control actuators for the AMCA, a critical component for the aircraft’s maneuverability and stealth capabilities. This partnership builds on Godrej’s two-decade-long collaboration with the ADA, during which it has developed components for flight-critical direct drive valve (DDV)-based servo actuators. The company’s role in the AMCA program also includes the development of lubrication pumps and nose wheel steering systems for the Tejas, showcasing its growing expertise in precision engineering for aerospace applications.
The company’s aerospace division has been on a rapid growth trajectory, generating annual revenues of around ?450 crore and expanding at a rate of 20-25% each year, according to Behramkamdin. A substantial portion of this growth comes from exports, with Godrej Aerospace supplying components to global markets. The company has also set an ambitious target to double its aerospace revenue within the next five years, a goal that Behramkamdin believes is achievable given the increasing demand for indigenous defense systems and India’s push for self-reliance. This optimism is supported by Godrej’s long-standing partnership with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), dating back to 1985, during which it has supplied critical components for rocket engines, including the Vikas engine used in ISRO’s launch vehicles.
However, the path to developing a 5th-generation jet engine is fraught with challenges. India’s previous attempts to build an indigenous jet engine, particularly the Kaveri engine for the Tejas, faced significant hurdles. Initiated in the 1980s, the Kaveri program struggled with issues such as insufficient thrust, overheating, and technological gaps, ultimately leading to the decision to use foreign engines for the Tejas. The KDE project, which Godrej Aerospace is now advancing, is a derivative of the Kaveri engine, designed to produce 48 kN of thrust for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Ghatak stealth UCAV. While Godrej has made progress—winning contracts to manufacture eight modules of the dry Kaveri engine and completing high-altitude tests in Russia—the transition to a 5th-generation engine for the AMCA, which requires thrust in the range of 110-130 kN, will demand significant technological advancements.
Critics of India’s indigenous engine programs often point to the country’s historical reliance on foreign technology and the slow pace of development. The Kaveri engine, for instance, was shelved as a powerplant for the Tejas after decades of delays, and the AMCA program has already faced setbacks, with its first flight now projected for 2026. Moreover, the global aerospace industry is dominated by established players like General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, and Safran, which have decades of experience and vast R&D budgets. For India to compete, it will need to overcome not only technological barriers but also systemic challenges, such as bureaucratic inefficiencies, funding constraints, and the need for a skilled workforce capable of handling cutting-edge aerospace technologies.
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