The social media platform X swirled with the hashtag 'Fund Kaveri Engine' as hundreds of Indian citizens, defence experts, and aviation enthusiasts urged the government to prioritise funding for the Kaveri Engine project.
A surge of patriotic sentiment swept the public demanding for India to bolster its self-reliance in military aviation technology by reducing its dependence on foreign-made fighter jet engines. Many have directly appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate additional resources to expedite the development of this long-delayed project, seen as vital to the national interest.
What is the Kaveri Project?
Kaveri is a 1980s project that dreamt of self-reliant India in fighter jet engine technology. The Kaveri Engine, developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) under India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), was initiated in the 1980s to power indigenous fighter jets like the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
With time, the project faced significant challenges, including thrust deficiencies, weight issues, and delays exacerbated by international sanctions following India’s 1998 nuclear tests. These hurdles led to the engine being delinked from the Tejas programme in 2008. However, recent progress, including in-flight testing and contributions from private firms like Godrej Aerospace, has revitalised interest in the project, with derivative versions now being developed for platforms such as the Ghatak stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).
The #FundKaveriEngine was trending at number one in India and has become a movement that sparked creative calls to action, with some users humorously suggesting measures like increasing taxes on popcorn to 20% to fund the project. The Kaveri Engine, once at risk of obscurity, is now a symbol of the nation’s pursuit of technological self-reliance, with netizens rallying to ensure its revival and success.
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