DRDO Long-Term Plans: India once planned to use its own jet engine, called Kaveri, for the Light Combat Aircraft or LCA. But in 2008, this plan was stopped. The engine programme was separated from the LCA project. This was a big disappointment at that time. Still, India did not give up. Instead, scientists found a new use for the engine. They decided to use a different version of the Kaveri engine for unmanned combat aircraft that do not need an afterburner.
Talking about this, DRDO chief Samir V. Kamat clearly explained why the engine could not be used on the LCA. He said, “The engine is working very well; it has given us a thrust of 72 kilonewton. But the LCA needs a thrust of 83-85 kilonewton. So, it’s not going to be used in the LCA, but we are using the derivative of the Kaveri engine for our unmanned combat aerial vehicle. So, without the afterburner, the Kaveri engine will be used in our unmanned combat aircraft,” he said.
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Why Engine Development Takes Long?
Kamat also spoke about how slow and hard engine development is. He said this is not just an India problem. All over the world, building a jet engine takes many years. According to him, most engine projects need at least 10 to 13 years before they are good enough to be fully used in aircraft.
He explained the future plan too. “So, if the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security) gives a sanction this year, I would assume that by 2035-2036, the engine would be ready for integration. Then it would go through the acceptance trials. We will do the development trials of the engine much before with the platform, but the final acceptance trials will start at 2035,” Kamat was quoted as saying.
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Future Technology
Kamat also shared updates about India’s fifth-generation fighter jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft or AMCA. He said the first two squadrons will not use an Indian engine. Instead, they will fly with American GE F414 engines. “He said the first two squadrons of fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) will be delivered with a GE F414 engine.”
At the same time, DRDO is thinking far ahead. Kamat said India will focus strongly on building its own aero-engines in the future. Unmanned combat aircraft are also a top priority. He added that many new technologies will be part of future defence systems. “Our focus is going to be on aero-engines. Our focus is going to be on the unmanned combat aerial vehicle. We are also looking at working in several deep-tech technologies, which will be essential for all our systems going forward. So, we are looking at quantum technologies, at AIML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) technologies, advanced materials and these technologies will go into any system that we develop,” he further said.
