New Delhi . India is constantly strengthening its move in the Defense Sector. The second GE-404 engine for LCA Mark 1A Fighter Jet Program from the US has reached New Delhi. According to defense officials, this engine was received by public sector company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HAL is expected to get 12 and GE-404 engines by the end of this financial year. These engines will be installed in LCA Mark 1A fighter jets. However, delivery of these engines has been delayed by more than a year due to supply chain issues to the American engine manufacturing company.

Earlier this year, GE Aerospace delivered HAL to LCA Mark 1A for 99 F404-Indian engines. HAL is now planning to integrate these engines in mark 1A fighter jets and supply more than 10 such planes to the Indian Air Force (IAF). The IAF has ordered 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets. The proposal to buy 97 more plane is now in the advanced stage after getting clearance from the Defense Ministry. Recently, Principal Secretary PK Mishra visited HAL’s facilities in Bengaluru and reviewed the LCA Mark 2 project as well as the Mark 1A program.

The target of the year 2035 was set
The LCA Mark 2 project is being designed to replace old fighter jets like Mirage 2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 by 2035. In the next 10 years, India will create more than 400 indigenous LCA aircraft which will use American GE engine variants. For the development of LCA Mark 2, more than Rs 9000 crore has been approved which will be updated and more powerful version of LCA Tejas. During PM Modi’s visit to the US in June 2023, there was a conversation on technology transfer for manufacturing of GE engine. In the coming years, Tejas Air Force’s largest fighter jet is going to become fleet.