General Electric to produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force; signs MoU with HAL

General Electric Aerospace, a subsidiary of General Electric (GE), announced on Thursday it will co-produce its F414 engines in India, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), with the development coming amid prime minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing state visit to the United States.

The announcement from General Electric Aerospace, made through a press release, came a day after PM Modi’s meeting with several top American business executives, including H Lawrence Culp Junior, Chairman and CEO General Electric, and CEO, General Electric Aerospace.

‘A major milestone’

Describing the agreement as a ‘major milestone’,’ the subsidiary said the F414 engines will power India’s indigenously-made Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2.

H Lawrence Culp Junior, the GE Aerospace CEO, said, “This is a historic agreement made possible by our long-standing partnership with India and HAL. We are proud to play a role in advancing President Biden and Prime Minister Modi’s vision of closer coordination between the two nations.”

The F414 engines, he remarked, are ‘unmatched.’

GE Aerospace and India

In India, GE Aerospace has been present for more than 40 years, with engagements in engines, avionics, services, engineering, manufacturing, and local sourcing. Also, since 1986, it has been working with the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and the HAL on India’s LCA project, first with the F404 engines, and then with both F404s and F414s.

It also operates two facilities in the country, one each in Bengaluru and Pune. While the John F Welch Technology Centre opened in Bengaluru in 2000, Pune hosts a multi-modal factory, which opened in 2015.