India to spend $7.4 billion on fighter jet engines by 2035
India expects to spend about 654 billion rupees ($7.44 billion) over the next decade to purchase engines for fighter aircraft currently under development, a senior defence official said on Friday.
The country will require roughly 1,100 engines for multiple fighter jet programmes at various stages of progress, according to S. V. Ramana Murthy, director of the state-run Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
India’s long-running project to equip its Tejas light combat aircraft with an indigenous Kaveri engine has faced delays due to technical challenges.
“There is a need to work on a mission mode to create an ecosystem for indigenous fighter engines,” Murthy said at a defence event in New Delhi.
He added that infrastructure such as high-altitude testing facilities and a robust industrial base are essential to achieving self-reliance in engine production.
Murthy, who is leading efforts to co-develop a jet engine with an international partner, said foreign firms including France’s Safran, Britain’s Rolls-Royce, and U.S.-based General Electric have expressed interest in collaborating.
A prototype of India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) — a fifth-generation stealth fighter — is expected to roll out in 2028. The project will also be open to private sector bids, marking a shift from the dominance of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, India’s state-owned aircraft manufacturer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has pushed to strengthen the domestic defence industry and attract global weapon makers to manufacture in India through joint ventures with local firms.
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