France has joined the race to co-create fighter engines in India. Macron's government has reportedly allowed the main Safran group of the French Defense Ministry to transfer key technologies to New Delhi.
Just weeks ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Paris, and just weeks after his visit to Washington to discuss a major deal to co-produce F-414 engines to power the homegrown Tejas Mark II fighter, France is said to have made targeted proposals.
According to the Hindustan Times, Safran, a large French defense ministry company, has given the green light by President Emmanuel Macron's government to co-design, develop, test, manufacture and certify an engine with India. It will be used to power a homegrown twin-engine advanced multirole fighter in New Delhi, as well as a naval version for an aircraft carrier.
The report notes that the potential deal includes 100% technology transfer from Safran. According to the report, the head of the Defense Research and Development Organization, Samir V. Cammaert, attended the 2023 Paris Air Show, specially visited Safran engine plant and its research and development center near the French capital.
According to HT, the French offer includes a completely new engine, new materials, new architecture, a complete supply chain and India-based ancillary manufacturing. Safran will also establish a gas turbine technology center of excellence with complete design and metallurgical precision software tools. Safran's engines power helicopters built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), and the two companies have reportedly agreed to jointly develop an engine for Indian utility helicopters, the newspaper quoted sources familiar with the deal as saying.
Safran has built a $150 million facility in Hyderabad to maintain, repair and overhaul engines for the A320 and Boeing 737 airliners, which will be operational by 2025. Meanwhile, U.S. defense giant GE Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding with HAL during Modi's recent trip to the United States. The memorandum outlines that GE's F414 engine, known for powering the Boeing Super Hornet and Saab Eagle Griffin, will be jointly produced in India to power its Tejas light fighter, the MK2. The deal also includes 100 percent technology transfer, pending approval by the U.S. Congress.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit France on July 13 to attend the Bastille Day celebrations. He is expected to hold bilateral talks with President Macron on the same day. Symbolically, the Indian Air Force Rafale fighter jet, purchased by New Delhi in 2016, will participate in the annual military parade on July 14.
RT2023/07/02
