With GE Aviation bagging the contract to supply the power plant for the Tejas LCA, the US has clearly stolen a march over the Europeans in the lucrative Indian defence market. GE had offered its GE F-414 engine as an alternative to its GE F-404 engines that are fitted in the first batch of LCAs that IAF would receive in a couple of years. Eurojet had offered its EJ-200 engines for the LCA Mk II aircraft that is under development now. While initial contract will be for 99 engines for over $650 million, the option for 49 more engines could be exercised later.
Eight engines will be bought off-the-shelf, while other 91 will be manufactured in India under transfer of technology. It is being said that selection of GE engines for the LCA improves prospects for the American F/A-18E ‘Super Hornet’, as also the Swedish Gripen, over the Eurofighter in MMRCA race. It would make much better economic and logistical sense to have similar engines powering both the LCA and the MMRCA. The American multi-national conglomerate is also into making nuclear power generation equipment, which it hopes to sell to India.
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