India Gets Second GE-404 Engine For LCA MK-1A: 12 More Fighter Jets On The Way - Are MiG-29 Fleets Being Replaced?

India has received its second GE-404 engine from the United States for the LCA Mark 1A fighter jet aircraft programme in a very important development, Defence officials said.

Who Is Receiving The Engine?

The public sector firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received the engine and the company is expected to receive 12 more GE-404 engines by the end of this fiscal year (2025-26).

The engines will be fitted on the LCA Mark 1A fighter jets.

The delivery of these engines had been delayed by more than a year as there were certain supply chain issues faced by the American engine manufacturing firm.

What Did The Officials Say?

According to a report by ANI, officials said that the Indian Air Force has placed orders for 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets and a proposal to buy 97 more of these planes and the order is at an advanced stage after the clearance from the Defence Ministry.

What Is HAL Going To Do With These Engines?

HAL plans to integrate these engines with the Mark1A fighters and supply more than 10 of these planes to IAF.

The LCA Mark 2 project is widely expected to be the replacement of the aging fleet of Mirage 2000, Jaguar and MiG-29 aircraft around the year 2035.

More than 400 indigenous LCA aircraft are expected to be built by India with the American GE engine variants in the next 10 years.

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