India Partners with France’s Safran to Boost Tejas Mark 2 Fighter Jet Development

Quick Summary

• India is considering a partnership with French aerospace company Safran to develop engines for future fighter jets due to delays in U.S. engine deliveries.
• Safran has submitted proposals to India’s Gas Turbine Research establishment (GTRE) and Hindustan aeronautics Limited (HAL) for joint development.
• The Tejas Mark 2 fighter jet was initially planned to use the American GE F414 engine but has faced delivery delays and rising costs though 80% of the components were intended for local production in India via GE collaboration.
• Safran has offered a 110 kN thrust engine that could enhance Tejas Mark 2’s speed, range, and weapon-carrying capabilities.
• Tejas Mk-2 aims to replace outdated aircraft like Jaguar, mirage-2000, and MiG-29 with advanced features including radar systems and Indian-developed weaponry like Astra missiles and BrahMos-NG.
• For the AMCA stealth fighter programme, Safran proposes a more powerful engine (120 kN thrust), vital for stealth performance on its twin-engine design; five prototypes are expected by 2029 as per Defense Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement.
• If finalised, the deal may involve technology transfer-boosting India’s defense self-reliance while advancing indigenous jet engine manufacturing capabilities.

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indian Opinion analysis
India’s exploration of an alternative partnership with France signals strategic rethinking regarding defense capabilities as it seeks remedies against delays in foreign collaborations such as from GE engines via U.S partnerships earlier slated into its projects heavily reliant on Freedom consist productions timelines variability

This move aligns logically amidst broader effort reducing import dependency whilst safeguardingagainst critical footholds sufficing diplomatic scenario Participants,test-data failure contingency plans