India Advances On Fifth-Gen Fighter Jet, To Begin Aircraft Engine Manufacturing With French Firm Safran

In a major development, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday (22 August) announced that India would partner with French engine maker Safran to make jet engines domestically.

Addressing the World Leaders Forum in New Delhi, Singh said that India has taken significant steps towards building its own fifth-generation fighter aircraft.

"Today, we have also taken steps forward in the direction of building Fifth Generation fighter aircraft. We have also moved towards manufacturing the aircraft’s engine in India itself," Singh said.

"We are about to start engine manufacturing work in India with the French company Safran,” he added.

Singh also extended an invitation to global defence companies to partner with India, citing Airbus’s ongoing production of C295 transport aircraft in collaboration with Tata Aerospace.

“Today there is an opportunity for all the big defence companies of the world to invest in India and co-produce defence equipment here. Our Make in India is not limited to India only. When you Make in India, you will make for the world,” he said.

On India's self-reliance push, He said that the government has reserved 75 per cent of the defence capital procurement budget for Indian companies.

“Our vision of Aatmanirbharta in defence is not just about reducing imports. It is about creating an ecosystem where Indian industry, public and private, develops world-class capability, where we not only meet domestic requirements but also emerge as a global supplier of high-quality defence products,” Singh said.

Highlighting recent breakthroughs in indigenous capability, Singh noted that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received orders worth Rs 66,000 crore for 97 Tejas fighter aircraft, in addition to an earlier order of 83 aircraft worth Rs 48,000 crore.

“Our Tejas aircraft is going to be a great example of India's indigenous defence capabilities," he said.

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