New Delhi: A United States-based GE Aerospace company delivered the second engine of F404-IN20, a US military engine, to India on Monday, 14 July 2025. The engine will power Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Tejas Mark-1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), thereby strengthening the Indian Air Force (IAF). GE Aerospace, a General Electric Company (GE), will supply 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL for Tejas Mark-1A in a $716 million deal signed in 2021. The company delivered the first engine in April, which is a high-thrust engine for a Tejas Mark-1A.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, in a statement, said that GE Aerospace will supply two F404-IN20 engines each month until March 2026 and is expected to deliver 12 by the end of the financial year. This delivery is significant, as it will allow HAL to deliver eight jets, at least six fighter jets and two trainer jets, by December. The first squadron of the Mark-1A LCA will be ready for induction into the IAF in the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year at Nal Air Force Station. The IAF has struggled in recent years with an abysmally low squadron strength of 31. The sanctioned squadron strength for the Indian Air Force (IAF) is 42.5 squadrons, and there has been a growing urgency to address the current shortfall. The upgraded and modernised Tejas Mark-1A 4.5-generation multi-role combat jets will be used to replace the current inventory of MiG-21s. A jet squadron generally has 16 to 18 aircraft in it, according to experts.
The Mark-1A Tejas is armed with a new glass cockpit avionics suite, an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, and an advanced electronic warfare management system. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over the IAF’s request for 83 Mark-1A Tejas jets in a ₹48,000 crore deal last year, and the deal is expected to get a quick nod. In addition, a proposal for the procurement of another 97 Mark-1A jets is also in the final stages of approval. According to Indian media reports, the F404-IN20 is being inducted to build up squadron strength to the bare minimum to meet the requirements of the Tejas Mk-1A and Mk-2, and many deliveries are expected over the next few months.
GE Aerospace’s $716 million contract to supply 99 F404-IN20 engines to HAL, signed in August 2021, hit a snag, according to reports in The Print. The F404-IN20 production line had been shut down in 2016 and struggled to reopen due to pandemic-related supply chain issues. The US firm GE developed a version of the F404-IN20 engine to suit India’s unique hot and humid conditions and high-altitude, cold regions. With a new high-flow fan and single-crystal turbine blades, this military-spec engine with high thrust will power India’s single-engine Tejas Mark-1A. So far, HAL has three Tejas airframes ready, with 11 more under construction and assembly. The company has a goal of 24 jets annually by the 2031-32 financial year to keep up with IAF demand.
The steady supply of engines will breathe life into a long-delayed Tejas program, which IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari has described as an “important milestone” in the efforts to place India on the path of indigenisation and promote its “defence-self-reliance goals” and a robust India-US defence partnership. After a full 18-month delay to the production model, the Indian Air Force will get the long-awaited Tejas, as HAL expects to deliver the first jets by the end of the year. Indian Air Force efforts to modernise in the face of the growing gap in the region are now likely to get a major push with the fresh order. It is worth mentioning here that the Pakistan Air Force might be a bit worried about India’s newly bought aircraft that can help the Indian Air Force cope with the current deterrence status.