Mega defence deal sealed in US: GE & HAL ink MoU to make jet engines for Indian Air Force

New Delhi; In a milestone defence agreement between India & United States, the General Electric (GE) on Thursday announced that it has teamed up with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. This deal will be a major fillip to Modi govt’s ‘Made in India’ initiative.

The GE’s announcement of making fighter jet engines in India, came on back of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with company’s chairman H Lawrence Culp Jr in Washington.

After meeting GE chairman, the PMO had also tweeted pictures from the meet.

The memorandum of Understanding (MoU) states that GE Aerospace signed with HAL terms it a ‘major milestone’ amid PM Modi’s maiden state visit to the US and also “key element in strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries”.

“The agreement, the statement said, includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India. “GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorization for this. The effort is part of the Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft Mk2 program,” it further said.

Notably, the GE Aerospace has its presence in the Indian defence market for long, with engagements in many fields including avionics, manufacturing, engineering & more. It’s association with HAL goes back to 1989, when it had signed contract for manufacturing of F404 engines, used in India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LAC).

The latest MoU is for production of F414 engines that will power the indigenous new version of Tejas fighter called Tejas Mk2.

The agreement also reiterated its commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force as part of the Light Combat Aircraft program.