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IAF ties up with GE to build own facility for repair, overhaul of Tejas engines with quicker turnaround

April 13, 2026 5 min read Internal Security Science & Technology GS Paper 3 (Defence Technology Security Indigenisation)
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What Happened

  • GE Aerospace signed a contract with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to help establish an in-country depot-level maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility for the F404-IN20 engines powering the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fleet
  • The depot will be owned, operated, and maintained by the IAF itself — not outsourced to GE — with GE providing technical inputs, training, support staff, supply of necessary spares, and specialised equipment
  • The arrangement eliminates India's dependence on overseas repair centres and is expected to significantly cut engine turnaround time, directly improving Tejas fleet serviceability and operational availability
  • GE has separately committed to delivering 20 F404 engines by December 2026, addressing longstanding delays in engine supply that had slowed the Tejas Mk1A induction timeline
  • The deal is a significant milestone in the broader Tejas programme: IAF has ordered 83 Mk1A aircraft (contract signed 2021), and HAL has procured 113 F404-IN20 engines from GE for the programme
  • The facility will enable skill development in high-precision aerospace maintenance, deepen India's domestic aerospace supply chain, and facilitate technology transfer

Static Topic Bridges

LCA Tejas Programme: India's Indigenous Fighter Aircraft

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is India's indigenously designed and developed fourth-generation supersonic fighter jet, developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the DRDO and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The programme, initiated in 1983, is one of India's longest-running and most ambitious defence technology projects. The Tejas Mk1A — the current production variant for IAF induction — incorporates an AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar, an advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) suite, Digital Map Generator, Smart Multi-function Displays, and combined interrogator-transponder among other upgrades over the baseline Mk1.

  • Engine: GE Aerospace F404-IN20 — highest thrust variant in the F404 family, producing ~85 kN (19,000 lbf) with afterburner; fitted with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC)
  • IAF has ordered 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft; a further 97-aircraft order is under advanced approval — total potential fleet size: 180 aircraft
  • $716 million GE engine contract (2021): 99 F404-IN20 engines; HAL has separately contracted 113 engines for total programme needs
  • First F404-IN20 engine delivered to HAL: March 25, 2025; fifth engine delivered: December 2025
  • The Tejas is classified as India's first operational indigenous combat aircraft — it is in service with IAF's No. 45 Squadron ("Flying Daggers") and No. 18 Squadron ("Flying Bullets")

Connection to this news: The in-country engine depot is a direct enabler of Tejas fleet readiness — without domestic MRO capability, engine maintenance would require shipping engines to overseas facilities, causing weeks or months of aircraft downtime.

Defence MRO: Strategic Importance and India's Policy Push

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of military platforms — aircraft, engines, vehicles, ships — is as strategically critical as the original acquisition. An aircraft without a serviceable engine is operationally worthless regardless of its sophistication. Historically, India's combat aircraft fleets have suffered from low serviceability rates partly because MRO for engines and complex systems was dependent on Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) facilities overseas. The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 and subsequent Atmanirbhar Bharat defence initiatives have explicitly targeted building domestic MRO capacity as a national security imperative.

  • DAP 2020 (in effect from October 1, 2020) introduced the "Buy (Global — Manufacture in India)" category which explicitly allows foreign companies to establish MRO facilities in India as part of their offset/local content obligations
  • India's overall civil and defence MRO market is projected to grow significantly, with the government targeting ₹1.75 lakh crore in annual defence production turnover by 2025 (including MRO)
  • Low serviceability of combat fleets has been a persistent IAF concern: the IAF's authorised squadron strength is 42 squadrons, but it currently operates around 30, partly due to maintenance-related constraints
  • Depot-level MRO (vs. field-level or intermediate-level maintenance) involves deep overhaul of engines and major systems — typically requiring specialised tooling, skilled technicians, and OEM technical data packages

Connection to this news: The IAF-GE depot directly addresses the specific MRO gap for F404-IN20 engines — bringing depot-level overhaul in-country for the first time and establishing a template for similar arrangements for other platforms.

Atmanirbhar Bharat in Defence: The Policy Framework

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan (Self-Reliant India) was announced in May 2020 with defence as one of the five pillars. The Ministry of Defence has implemented this through: a Negative Import List (items banned from import to force domestic sourcing), increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limits in defence (up to 74% automatic route, 100% government route), Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, and priority to domestic procurement in capital acquisitions. The IAF-GE depot model — where India owns and operates the facility while accessing OEM technical expertise — exemplifies the "Make in India" MRO framework envisioned under DAP 2020.

  • Defence Negative Import List now covers 101+ items (progressively expanded since August 2020) including a range of aircraft engines, radars, and munitions
  • India's defence exports have grown from ~₹1,500 crore (FY17) to approximately ₹21,000 crore (FY24) — a 14x increase — reflecting the maturing domestic production ecosystem
  • The Defence Industrial Corridors (UP: Agra–Aligarh–Lucknow–Kanpur; Tamil Nadu: Chennai–Coimbatore belt) are designed to create clusters of domestic defence manufacturers and MRO providers
  • Technology Transfer provisions in defence contracts have been strengthened — OEMs are now expected to enable Indian partner firms to develop sustained maintenance capability

Connection to this news: The IAF-GE facility is the Atmanirbhar Bharat defence framework operating at its intended best: Indian ownership, Indian operation, with OEM technical partnership — moving India from dependence toward self-sustaining capability.

Key Facts & Data

  • Contract: GE Aerospace + IAF for in-country F404-IN20 engine depot (April 2026)
  • Engine: GE F404-IN20 — ~85 kN thrust with afterburner; fitted with FADEC
  • IAF Tejas orders: 83 Mk1A aircraft (contract 2021); additional 97 under approval; total potential: 180
  • GE engine supply commitments: 99 engines ($716 million contract, 2021); 113 engines (HAL, 2025); 20 engines by December 2026
  • Facility ownership: IAF; technical support: GE Aerospace (training, spares, equipment)
  • DAP 2020: in force from October 2020; introduced Buy (Global-MII) category enabling domestic MRO setups
  • India's defence exports: ~₹21,000 crore (FY24) vs. ₹1,500 crore (FY17)
  • IAF authorised strength: 42 squadrons; current operational: ~30 squadrons