DRDO develops India's first indigenous 350-kg thrust class expendable turbojet engine
New Delhi, July 23
The first indigenous Expendable Turbo Jet Engine of 350 kg thrust class, designed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Gas Turbine Research Establishment, has been successfully developed.
GTRE had identified Azad Engineering, Hyderabad, as an industry partner for the manufacturing and assembly of the engine, as per the release.
On July 22, the engine was successfully realised and delivered to GTRE by Azad Engineering, a landmark achievement for India's aerospace and defence ecosystem. The delivery marks the culmination of years of precision engineering, advanced manufacturing, and close partnership between India's scientific & industrial communities.
Mastered by only a handful of nations, jet engine technology is widely regarded as one of the most sophisticated engineering disciplines in the world, demanding exceptional precision, advanced metallurgy, and uncompromising manufacturing standards. Delivery of such a complex system based on the design of DRDO reflects the growing technological capabilities of the Indian Defence Industry.
The engine was handed over to Distinguished Scientist & Director General (Aeronautical Systems) K Rajalakshmi Menon and Outstanding Scientist and Director GTRE SV Ramanamurty by CEO Azad Engineering Shri Rakesh Chopdar.
Defence Secretary and Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman, DRDO Rajesh Kumar Singh complimented the partnership of GTRE and industry that has been instrumental in transforming the vision into a historic milestone.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Impressive progress from DRDO. The 350-kg thrust class is perfect for cruise missiles and UAVs. It's good to see India moving beyond just import dependency and actually developing core technologies. This will strengthen our defence manufacturing ecosystem significantly.
What a proud moment for our scientists! Jet engine technology is no joke - it requires precision at microscopic levels and advanced metallurgy. The fact that DRDO and Azad Engineering have mastered this is a testament to our growing R&D capabilities. But the real test will be mass production and reliability. Hope they scale it up quickly! 🚀
Great achievement, but I hope this isn't just a one-off prototype that never sees production. We've seen many DRDO successes that took years to reach the forces. The 350-kg class is good for smaller platforms, but we need to push for larger engines too - like 800 kg thrust or more for fighter jets. Still, every journey starts with a single step. Kudos to the team! 👏
Excellent collaboration between public and private sectors! Azad Engineering stepping up as manufacturing partner shows Indian industry is ready for high-tech defence production. This engine could be a game-changer for our cruise missile programs and indigenous UAV projects. Well done DRDO!
As someone who works in aerospace, I can tell you this is no small feat. The high-temperature alloys, the precision machining, the complex thermodynamics - all need world-class expertise. This 350-kg thrust engine will be perfect for the Nirbhay cruise missile and various drone projects.
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