SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
In a bold move towards self-reliance in defense technology, leading Indian private sector companies such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Godrej Aerospace, and Kalyani Group have thrown their weight behind the development of a new 110kN thrust engine entirely within India. This ambitious program, aimed at powering the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), is being pursued without the involvement of an external Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). However, sources close to idrw.org suggest that the timeline and technological complexity of the project may still necessitate a foreign partner.
The goal is to develop this high-thrust engine within a tight window of 7-9 years, a timeline deemed critical to align with the AMCA program’s schedule. Industry experts, however, caution that achieving this without external support could be unrealistic. “With the current capabilities of India’s engine ecosystem, developing a fully indigenous military jet engine might take 12-15 years,” a source told idrw.org. This discrepancy has sparked discussions about the potential need for a foreign collaborator to bridge the gap, despite the private sector’s enthusiasm and expertise.
Companies like L&T, Godrej Aerospace, and Kalyani Group already play significant roles in the global aerospace supply chain, manufacturing components for commercial aircraft engines for giants like Rolls-Royce and Safran. Their expertise in precision engineering, material science, welding, and advanced manufacturing is well-established. “The technology required for commercial engines shares similarities with military engines in terms of materials and processes,” an industry insider noted. However, the core technologies—such as those governing high-stress tolerances, thermal management, and thrust optimization in military jet engines—operate at a different level of complexity.
While these firms possess the foundational skills to contribute to an indigenous engine, the lack of a robust domestic base for military engine development poses a significant hurdle. “Developing a new engine entirely in India is very much possible, but it could take much longer due to the absence of a mature ecosystem,” the source added. This delay could jeopardize the AMCA program, which aims to deliver a fifth-generation stealth fighter to the Indian Air Force.
The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a DRDO laboratory tasked with spearheading India’s engine development efforts, is pushing to retain complete control over the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of the 110kN engine. According to idrw.org, GTRE officials see this as a strategic move to ensure that the engine can be modified and enhanced locally in the future. “Securing full IPR will allow us to adapt this engine for higher-thrust variants, potentially powering sixth-generation aircraft,” a GTRE official revealed.
The official also hinted at long-term plans to explore advanced technologies like variable cycle engines, which could offer greater efficiency and adaptability for next-generation fighters. However, such innovations remain a distant goal. “Developing a variable cycle engine locally is possible, but it will take time. For now, the AMCA will rely on fifth-generation-level engines,” the official explained. Mastering this technology, they added, would pave the way for more potent platforms in the future.
The involvement of L&T, Godrej Aerospace, and Kalyani Group underscores the growing role of India’s private sector in defense innovation. Their experience with commercial engine programs provides a strong foundation, but the leap to military-grade engines requires overcoming significant technical and temporal challenges. While the aspiration to develop a 110kN engine without external OEM support reflects India’s ‘Make in India’ ethos, the compressed timeline may force a pragmatic compromise.
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