India's Quest for 6th Gen Turbofan Engine Tech

India has been in search of a technology collaboration with an engine OEM for the development of a 110 Kn class turbofan engine for its upcoming 5th generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) for the Indian Navy respectively. India, however, also wants the engine to feature the latest Variable/Adaptive Cycle Engine technology which is currently being developed globally for the 6th gen fighter jet platforms. The Indian government has so far shortlisted 3 companies and has reportedly been in active talks with all 3 of them for the same. These companies, include, GE Aerospace, Rolls Royce and Safran.

However, the only company of the trio with ready variable cycle engine (VCE) technology (also referred to as the adaptive cycle engine. in US terminology) is GE (besides Pratt & Whitney) which developed its XA100 engine prototype under DoD funding for the NGAD program of USAF (under USAF's AETP/NGAP programs standing for Adaptive Engine Transition Program and Next Generation Adaptive Propulsion) which has just been awarded to Boeing. Also, GE is the engine OEM desperately looking for a use case for the same after its proposal for an alternate engine for the F-35 program, using technologies developed for AETP, was scuttled earlier by the US Congress which instead approved a core upgrade on the existing, Pratt & Whitney's F-135 engine, which powers the F-35 as the exclusive engine.

The fight to power the F-47 is still on between GE and P&W. GE, however, would be keen to grab a key international customer, like India, and given the overall size and scale of the program (AMCA Mk I & II, TEDBF and later 6th gen fighter) and building-upon it's existing supplier status on Tejas with F404 & F414 engines. GE would want to consolidate its presence further in India with a significant use case for its ACE tech lest it loses to P&W in the F-47 competition going forward.

On the other hand, India would be keen to go the French way and choose Safran given the strategic autonomy and security it offers, unlike GE in the uncertain & highly unpredictable Trump Era. India already has the successful precedent of producing Turbomeca military engines for its multiple military helo platforms produced by HAL, including, Dhruv ALH, LCH & LUH and also has MRO facilities within India for them besides LEAP & CFM56 engines for commercial airliners.

Safran has been in India since 1960 and has a broad industrial base here and operates 17 facilities here. The French have traditionally been (and are) way more open to tech transfer, unlike the Americans, (due to French dependence on exports) and Macron would also be more than keen to capitalize on the foreign policy uncertainties created by Trump globally. Safran, however, is still developing the VCE tech for the European and Franco-German 6th generation FCAS program under development. Safran is scheduled to produce the first functional prototype VCE engine for the FCAS in 2027 with FCAS' entry into service planned for 2035.

Also, some of the engine tech developed by Safran for FCAS is likely to find its way back into the French Rafales in future. India, thus, will have a clear advantage in going with Safran as the Rafales operated by the IAF, and being procured for Indian Navy now, will clearly benefit from the engine tech advances...

For those looking for more and a deeper dig, would highly recommend the book, "PowerPlay: Great Engine Wars in Commercial Aviation - Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, GE, Safran" available on Amazon at:-

https://www.amazon.com/PowerPlay-Engine-Commercial-Aviation-Whitney-ebook/dp/B0CC2ZHMQF

https://www.amazon.in/PowerPlay-Engine-Commercial-Aviation-Whitney-ebook/dp/B0CC2ZHMQF

Image Credits: GE Aerospace