Reports of Amca F414 engine negotiations hitting deadlock false: Source

Countering reports of a setback to the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (Amca) programme, under which India’s homegrown radar-evading fighter is being developed, a defence source told Business Standard on Thursday that reports alleging negotiations with United States-based aerospace major General Electric (GE) on the F414 engine had reached a deadlock over pricing were false.

Earlier, several media reports mentioned that negotiations with GE over the F414 engines, which are slated to power the initial variants of the Amca, have hit a wall, with the manufacturer seeking prices nearly three times higher than earlier estimates.

The negotiations cover technology transfer arrangements, licensed production, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, spare parts support, warranty provisions, delivery schedules and future price-escalation mechanisms.

What is Amca? 

It is India’s indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency for the Indian Air Force and designed as a twin-engine aircraft with internal weapons bays, sensor fusion and supercruise ambitions. 

The programme has been approved for prototype development, with initial induction planned in the mid-2030s. 

India currently lacks an engine in the 98 kN thrust class. Due to repeated delays in developing an indigenous model, the Mk1 version of Amca was designed around the GE F414-INS6 engine.  

The F414 was chosen due to its proven reliability, existing integration with the future Tejas Mk-2 programme, supply chain and lower developmental risk.

Any significant escalation in engine costs can complicate the Amca programme, given that the aircraft has been designed around the F414. Adopting a different engine class would involve major structural and systems modifications, followed by extensive testing and certification before induction.

The Mk-2 version is expected to use a indigenous 110-120 kN class engine, being explored in collaboration with French defence aerospace company Safran. The Amca prototype programme alone would require around 10-15 F414 engines for five flying prototypes.