Key Points

Rebutting media reports of India considering French fighter engines, DK Sunil said negotiations are at an advanced stage with American multinational conglomerate General Electric (GE).

He also stated that concerns over tariffs imposed by the United States on Indian goods do not affect discussions with GE concerning the fighter jet engine. LCM Mk2 is also known as Tejas Mk2 fighter jet.

"As far as my knowledge goes, there is no discussion about the French engine as far as LCM Mk2 is concerned. LCM Mk2 has been designed around the 414 engine... Our negotiations are at an advanced stage with GE. We have already had six rounds of meetings. Another round will happen now in the USA in the first week of October. We are moving at a good pace... I don't think whatever is happening about the tariff has any impact on our discussions with GE," DK Sunil told ANI in an interview.

He was asked about impact on getting engines from GE due to the tariffs.

Reports in section of media said that India is weighing the option of French-made engines for its fighter jets due "to slow pace of talks" on joint manufacturing.

Answering queries, DK Sunil said that the delivery of GE-414 engines is being ramped up.

"The ramping up is taking place. They (GE) had promised us 12 engines in a year, but perhaps now we will get 12 engines by the end of the financial year. This year, we may get 10. We will get the remaining by March. We have already built the 10th aircraft, and the 11th aircraft is ready... They are now sorting out their supply chain," he told ANI.

"The basic problems are done, and now the production will ramp up... Next year, they have promised us 20 engines. We have had a meeting with their top management and they are also sharing a lot of information on a regular basis about where the engine is, what the issues are. The communication has improved and we are confident that they will be able to now ramp up and meet our requirement," he added.

Asked about the Defence Ministry signing a contract with HAL for procurement of 97 LCA Mk1A aircraft for IAF, DK Sunil said that by financial year 2032-33, "we will finish all the 180 aircraft. That is the target."

Ministry of Defence on Thursday signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, including 68 fighters and 29 twin seaters, along with associated equipment, for Indian Air Force, at a cost of over Rs. 62,370 crore (excluding taxes).

The delivery of these aircraft would commence during 2027-28 and be completed over a period of six years.

The aircraft will have an indigenous content of over 64%, with 67 additional items incorporated, over and above the previous LCA Mk1A contract signed in January 2021.

The integration of advanced indigenously developed systems such as the UTTAM Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach, and control surface actuators will further strengthen the Aatmanirbharta initiatives.

The project is being supported by a robust vendor base of nearly 105 Indian companies directly engaged in the manufacture of detailed components, a Defence Ministry release said.

The production is expected to generate close to 11,750 direct and indirect jobs per year for the duration of six years, giving a major boost to the domestic aerospace ecosystem.

The acquisition, under the 'Buy (India-IDDM)' category of Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, is in line with the Government's thrust on indigenisation. The LCA Mk1A is the most advanced variant of the indigenously designed & manufactured fighter aircraft and will serve as a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of the IAF.

- ANI