GE Aerospace to supply engines for Indian Navy's six missile vessels

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US marine engine manufacturer GE Aerospace would supply LM2500 marine gas turbine engine kits to power six Indian Navy’s Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) that will be built by Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Thursday.

GE Aerospace would deliver the kits for assembly and testing by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL’s) Industrial and Marine Gas Turbine Division in Bangalore, India, the ministry said.

In addition to the marine engines, the company will be required to supply a full complement of gas turbine auxiliary systems, it said.

LM2500 engines already play a significant role in powering Indian naval warships. These gas turbines already power the navy’s six Shivalik-class frigates. In addition, four LM2500 gas turbines power the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, the flagship of the Indian Navy.

“Over 714 vessels globally rely on GE Aerospace’s marine gas turbines for their reliability and availability,” the company announced on Thursday.

LM2500 power packs provide 95 per cent of the commissioned propulsion gas turbines in the US Navy fleet. “The LM2500 isn’t just powering the Indian Navy, it’s the engine of choice for navies worldwide that demand the best,” it announced.

On test will be GE Aerospace’s ability to deliver aero engines on schedule. The company has faced severe criticism for its recent failure to deliver engines for the Tejas fighter.

NGMV: India’s most sophisticated warships

The NGMV will be a new warship for the Indian Navy, designed and built to launch BrahMos missile attacks on enemy targets in the vicinity of the coast. It will be capable of sailing at a maximum speed of 35 knots (65 kilometres per hour) and, in addition to the BrahMos, will carry an impressive array of anti-surface weapons.

“The core of the NGMV propulsion system is the LM2500, a marine gas turbine engineered to unleash superior power while meeting stealth requirements,” stated GE Aerospace.

The Indian Navy has a proud tradition of staging ship-to-shore missile attacks. A key moment in the navy’s self-perception came in the December 1971 war against Pakistan, when its Soviet-era missile vessels attacked Karachi harbour from the sea, causing extensive damage.

Almost half a century later, the navy is acutely conscious that, notwithstanding its Blue Water capability or its ability to play an expeditionary role across the Indian Ocean littoral, Indian defence planners expect it to participate in and play a role in shaping the land battle.

An engine monitoring system

The LM2500 gas turbine power packs will come fitted with GE’s SmartSignal digital solution, which monitors equipment conditions that could cause engine damage and lead to unplanned losses.

GE’s split casing compressor and power turbine design permits in-situ maintenance, often making a gas turbine removal unnecessary and saving users millions of dollars a year and weeks, even months, of ship unavailability.

This will enable the navy to move toward a truly predictive mode of operation, especially in the field of gas turbine propulsion.