AMCA's High-Thrust Jet Engine On Cards As PM Modi Visits France

India and France are in an advanced stage of talks about Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA's) high-thust 110-KN jet engine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled for a two-day visit to France, from 13 July-14 July, to attend the Bastille Day parade as a guest of honour.

It is expected that the major thrust of the Prime Minister visit will be on equipments for the Indian Armed Forces, including the announcement of a deal for 26 Rafale-M fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.

The joint development of an next-generation high-thrust jet engine for AMCA Mk-2 is high on the agenda, as well.

According to a report by ANI, the discussions on the joint development and manufacturing of these jet engines have reached advanced stages. The French engine-maker Safran has, according to reports, already agreed to the full transfer of technology (ToT) for the 110-KN jet engine.

This comes in the backdrop of India and the United States announcing a historic deal for manufacturing General Electric GE F-414 jet engines in India with eighty percent ToT during the 'state' visit of PM Modi to the United States.

The General Electric deal will involve the transfer of critical technologies that the US has, hitherto, not even shared with treaty allies like the UK, France and Australia.

The French offer, on the other hand, is for the development of a clean-sheet engine. The French have not previously developed this high-thrust 110-KN jet engine.

The engine on offer will be an entirely new design which will be developed in collaboration between the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Safran, and will involve clear division of work.

According to a report, "this offer is going to be a learning process for both sides as issues like design involving the thrust-to-weight ratio, metallurgy and manufacturing process will have to be discussed in detail."

India and France are already working on developing an advanced turboshaft engine for the future Indian multi-role helicopter (IMRH) and deck-based multi-role helicopter (DB-MRH).

It is worth noting that the entire indigenous helicopter fleet of the Indian Armed Forces, including the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, its armed variant Rudra, light utiltiy helicopter (LUH) and light combat helicopter (LCH) uses, HAL Shakti, which is a version of Safran's Ardiden engine.

Furthermore, HAL and Safran have also agreed to make a joint helicopter-engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, Helicopters Engines MRO Pvt Ltd (HE-MRO), at Goa.

The MRO facility's ground-breaking ceremony was held, last year (in March 2022) at Sattari, 40 km away from Panaji, Goa.

HAL aims to commence overhauling these engines in the MRO facility by the end of 2023, with a long-term objective of overhauling more than 150 engines annually.