Overview
- The Gas Turbine Research Establishment estimates roughly 1,100 engines will be required across fighter programmes now progressing.
- Director S. V. Ramana Murthy said Safran, Rolls‑Royce and General Electric have signaled interest in co-developing propulsion for India’s first fifth‑generation fighter.
- Murthy urged mission‑mode development of crucial facilities, citing the need for a high‑altitude test site and a stronger industrial base.
- An Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft prototype is targeted for 2028, with the project opened to private bidders to reduce dependence on HAL.
- The decades‑old Kaveri engine remains short of fighter needs, though Murthy said a derivative could power a home‑grown unmanned combat aerial vehicle.