INDIA’S JET ENGINE JOURNEY

Without its own jet engine, India has to settle for inadequately powered imported engines for its LCA Tejas fleet. The Gen 5 fighter jet programme, AMCA, has also been limping for the past 13 years as it seeks an engine with 110 kN thrust to meet its supercruise requirements

DEC 1986

DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment begins work on the Kaveri engine for the LCA with a projected cost of Rs 382.86 crore

1989

The budget for the 93-month Kaveri engine programme is approved in March. A full-scale development is authorised in April

1996

Test runs of the first complete prototype of Kaveri begin and all five ground-test examples are in test by 1998

2003

Kaveri is sent twice to Russia to undergo high-altitude tests; it fails the tests. A decision is taken to procure the uprated GE F404IN20 engine for the LCA

2008

Despite having undergone 1,700 hours of tests, the Kaveri is delinked from the Tejas programme

2012

India offers Safran a contract to fix the Kaveri engine. The deal fails due to high costs

2015

Safran again offers the engine development proposal as part of the Rafale deal offset obligations. No decision yet