India closes in on its first homegrown fighter jet engine

India’s pursuit of a homegrown fighter jet engine has reached a critical juncture. In a recent interview with Hindustan Times’ Point Blank, Executive Editor Shishir Gupta explained how a joint venture between Safran and DRDO, along with revived indigenous programs and private sector involvement, has transformed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2025 call for an Indian-engineered fighter jet from mere rhetoric into a tangible, time-bound project.

In his Independence Day speech a year ago, Modi urged the defense ecosystem to deliver an indigenous fighter jet powered by an Indian engine. The airframe side of the equation has seen private companies like Tata, Bharat Forge, and Larsen & Toubro, each with public sector units as partners, shortlisted to build the next-generation stealth-capable multirole fighter, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

The propulsion side is now being steered by the Safran–GTRE joint venture, with a 120 kN thrust engine proposal now before the Cabinet Committee on Security, expected to be cleared before August 15, 2026. This engine will be built entirely in India, marking a significant departure from the historical dependence on Russian and French engines whose technology was not shared even under transfer-of-technology agreements.

This move is both politically and strategically significant, as it would place India in an elite club of countries capable of designing and producing modern fighter engines, currently limited to the US, UK, France, and China. The road ahead is long and challenging, with nine prototypes to be built and certified, followed by the development of a more powerful 140 kN version for future fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.

However, the mere fact that a credible, IP-owned programme is on the table is a "defining moment" for India, according to Gupta. The project also offers operational leverage, as India would no longer risk a foreign supplier's intervention in the event of a crisis. While China has made significant strides in engine development, utilizing reverse engineering and its own local technologies, India must not be left behind.

The Safran JV is just one pillar of India’s engine strategy, with DRDO and GTRE's original Kaveri engine now being revived with an 80 kN target. The idea is to use Kaveri as a technology demonstrator and then scale up, despite the immense cost and labor demands of engine development. Additionally, India has entered into joint production agreements with GE for the F414 engine, which will power Tejas Mk2 and the first two AMCA squadrons. However, these agreements are also limited in scope, with no transfer of sensitive technology.