In an effort to bring advanced manufacturing and design skills to India, the Ministry of Defence has suggested a strategic partnership with France to jointly develop next-generation fighter jet engines, reported a media house.
The Ministry of Defence determined that the French aerospace company Safran provided the best terms following a comprehensive consultation process that included in-depth feedback from a technical committee that looked at all important facets of fighter jet engine manufacturing.
This recommendation comes as part of a ₹61,000 crore project to jointly develop a 120 kilonewton (kN) thrust engine, which will power future combat aircraft like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)..
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For the jet engine project, the government had looked over bids from Rolls-Royce, based in the UK, and Safran, based in France. The two main factors that made Safran's offer the best option were its strong commitment to full technology transfer and its good fit with the AMCA program's development schedule.
At the moment, engines from overseas are used to power all Indian fighter jets. Though considerable efforts are being made to develop one. The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been working on the Kaveri engine for decades to power indigenous fighter jets like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
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