America’s GE Aviation won a contract valued INR 5,375 Crore (approximately $720 million) from Indian firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the delivery of engines to power Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk-1A. Inked on August 17, the deal calls for the supply of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines and support services.
Earlier this year, the Indian Air Force (IAF) signed an INR 48,000 Crore deal with HAL for 83 LCA-Mk1A jets. The 83 jets are in addition to the 40 LCA already ordered by the IAF in two batches of 20 each in the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) and the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) configurations.
The co-operation will be further enhanced with the manufacturing of GE F14 engines in India for the upcoming LCA MkII program, HAL said in a statement Wednesday.
The F404 family of engines powers a broad spectrum of aircraft with missions ranging from low-level subsonic attack to high-altitude interception. The first version of the F404 was developed to power the Boeing F/A-18, and non-afterburning derivatives powered the F-117A Stealth Fighter and the Singapore A4-SU Super Skyhawk.
The F404-GE-IN20 engine is an enhanced production version of the F404, which is successfully powering India’s Light Combat Aircraft MKI. The highest thrust variant of the F404 family, the F404-GE-IN20 incorporates GE’s latest hot section materials and technologies, as well as a FADEC for reliable power and better operational characteristics.
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