March 22, 2025: In a significant development for India’s defense sector, US aerospace giant General Electric (GE) is set to deliver the first of 99 F-404 engines to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by the end of this month. This delivery, delayed by two years, marks a crucial step in fulfilling India's contract for powering the Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets.

Sources indicate that the first engine is currently undergoing testing and will be handed over to HAL soon. As per the agreement signed in 2021, GE is expected to supply a total of 12 engines this year, followed by 20 engines annually until the contract, valued at $716 million, is completed.

Meanwhile, HAL is also collaborating with GE for the indigenous manufacturing of the more advanced GE-414 engine. This engine is crucial for India’s upcoming fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program, developed under the iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies) framework between India and the US.

Amid concerns over delays in the supply of 83 Tejas MK 1A jets, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has expressed frustration over production setbacks. In response, the Ministry of Defence, under Defence Secretary R. K. Singh, has formed a special committee to explore business models that integrate private sector participation in fighter jet manufacturing. The objective is to reduce dependency on HAL and ensure India’s long-term national security needs are met efficiently.

While the US has offered India its fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, India is also evaluating alternatives, including a proposal from France to manufacture Rafale jets and the M-88 engine in India under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

This development comes at a time when India and the US are navigating trade tensions, signaling a positive step in bilateral defense cooperation despite economic uncertainties.