After Delays, US Aerospace Supplies First F-404 Engines For Tejas MK-1A Jets
The F404-IN20 engine is a custom variant for India's single-engine fighter program with the highest thrust in the F404 family and an increased-flow fan, special single-crystal turbine blades, and many special components.
New Delhi:
US defence behemoth GE Aerospace announced on Wednesday that it supplied the first of 99 F-404 fighter engine to the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Tejas light combat aircraft programme.
The government–owned HAL is acquiring the engines to drive the Mk-1A variant of the Tejas aircraft.
The defence ministry inked the Rs 48,000 crore contract with HAL in February 2021 for acquiring 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF.
The deliveries were to start in March last year. Nothing has been delivered so far, though.
The commencement of supply of the F404-IN20 engines by the US aircraft defence major is likely to enable the HAL to start delivering the jets to the IAF.
Defence sources said that the delay in supply of the engines by GE Aerospace was one of the factors why HAL missed the deadline for supply of the Tejas jets to the IAF.
It is understood that the engine has been supplied to the HAL by the US company at its plant in Lynn near Massachusetts. The engine is likely to arrive in India by early next month.
GE Aerospace’s F404 series is reputed to be one of the most powerful aircraft engines and it drives thousands of combat fighters globally.
“On Tuesday, we were pleased to deliver the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to our valued customer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk 1A fighter,” GE Aerospace said in a release.
“It is a significant milestone in our 40-year partnership with HAL and in our attempts to provide a robust future for the Indian military through developing next-generation aircraft while building the capabilities of the country’s defence manufacturing base,” it added.
The F404-IN20 engine is a specially designed version for India’s single-engine fighter program with the highest thrust in the F404 family and increased-flow fan, special single-crystal turbine blades, and many special parts, the company stated.
GE Aerospace and Tejas teams worked closely together for several years to adapt the engine to the requirements of the Indian Air Force.
“The F404 proved to be a great match for the Tejas LCA. In its maiden test flight in 2008, the aircraft flew to multiple mission altitudes and reached Mach 1.1 speed,” said the engine manufacturer.
GE Aerospace stated that by 2016, it had lived up to its promise to HAL and had supplied 65 F404-IN20 engines for the Tejas LCA.
“Since there were no other engine orders in sight, the F404-IN20 production line was closed.” “But when HAL placed another order for 99 engines in 2021 for the Tejas Mk1A LCA, our team initiated the intricate process of restarting the F404-IN20 production line that had remained idle for five years and re-activating the engine’s global supply chain,” it added.
Indigenous Tejas jets are likely to be the mainstay of the Indian Air Force in years to come.
Last year, in November, the defence ministry gave in-principle approval to buy 97 more Tejas jets for the IAF.
Tejas aircraft is a powerful platform for air combat as well as offensive air support operations while reconnaissance and anti-ship operations are secondary duties.
GE Aerospace has stated that reactivating a jet engine assembly line is an arduous process.
“Restarting the F404-IN20 engine line during the pandemic was even harder.” “With a strong emphasis on safety and quality, and an outstanding effort from our supply chain teams and our suppliers and partners, we have been able to restart the line,” said the company.
“Our proprietary lean operating model, flight deck, helped us remove bottlenecks and find solutions to streamline manufacturing processes and turnaround time,” it stated.
The company stated that it is coordinating with its suppliers to increase production on parts and materials for the F404-IN20.
“We will keep working together with our vendors to ensure the production line remains efficient, uphold the highest levels of safety and quality, and ship to our customer,” it added.
“This week’s initial engine delivery is a reflection of what we have achieved with HAL in the last 40 years, and a symbol of our collective potential to guarantee a robust future for India’s military,” it further added.
