DRDO And Safran To Co-Develop A High Thrust 110KN Engine For AMCA Mk-2 As France Offers Full ToT: Report

France has offered full transfer of technology (ToT) for the co-development of a new 110KN high-thrust jet engine to power the AMCA Mk-2 fifth generation stealth jet.

This comes after India signed an historic deal for the co-manufacture of General Electric GE F-414 jet engines in India with eighty percent ToT during the 'state' visit of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to United States.

The General Electric deal will involve the transfer of critical technologies that the US has, hitherto, not even shared with treaty allies like the UK, France and Australia.

The technologies involve various metallurgical and manufacturing technologies including machining and coating of single-crystal turbine blades, nozzle-guide vanes and ceramic matrix components (CMCs), thermal barrier coating for hot end, laser drilling of combustor and bottle boring of shafts.

The GE F-414 engines will power the in-development Tejas Mk-2 and AMCA Mk-1 jets.

The French offer, on the other hand, is for designing a completely clean-sheet, high-thrust engine (producing 110KN of thrust) for AMCA Mk-2, which will allow the AMCA to supercruise.

Supercruising allows a jet to go supersonic (faster than the speed of sound), without engaging its afterburner, decreasing its fuel burn consequently increasing the range, time on station and infrared signature of the jet.

According to a report by Times Now, the French offer has already arrived and they are willing to transfer full technology and putting "no restrictions on stopping any access to sensitive issues", while the United States General Electric and British Rolls Royce (RR) are also competing for the project.

It is worth noting that, the French have not developed the high-thrust 110-KN jet engine.

The engine on-offer will be an entirely new design which will be developed collaboratively by both the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and Safran, and will 'involve clear division of work', the Times Now report says.

The report adds that "This is going to be a learning process for both sides as issues like design involving the thrust to weight ratio, metallurgy and manufacturing process will have to be discussed in detail".