As Indian scientists are yet to achieve success in indigenously developing Kaveri fighter jet engine, France has offered to collaborate in this venture. These engines were supposed to power Tejas fighter jets which were inducted into the IAF last week. The indigenously planes are now flying with US made GE-404 engines.
Kaveri project started more than 20 years back but given the complexities involved in producing this world class engine coupled with technology denial by some countries led to delay in this ambitious venture.
France has offered to help India in developing the engine as part of offsets for 36 Rafale fighter jet deal for which negotiations are in the final stages. The deal is pegged at more than Rs65,000 crores. India will buy these jets off the shelf and the first jets are likely to be inducted after two years once the contract is inked.
Rafale deal is a Government to Government contract between France and India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this during his visit to France last year. Final negotiations are now on between the French and Indian Government officials besides Dassault which manufactures Rafale jets.
The deal is likely to be signed in the later part of this year after Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)headed by the Prime Minister gives the final nod, sources said here on Thursday.
India and France have reportedly agreed for 50 per cent offsets. This offset clause means that France will plough back 50 per cent of the total cost of the contract into India to help local industry progress and get access to world class technology.
As part of this clause, sources said, France has offered to help India in developing Kaveri engine. Under the offset agreement, which was discussed last year, the French have made a 30 per cent offset commitment for military aerospace research and development programmes and the rest 20 per cent for making components of Rafales here. The offsets will be carried out by French companies Safran, Thales, MBDA and Dassault, all part of the Rafale project.
The Kaveri proposal by France entails an upgraded engine with 90 kN thrust compared to the existing 72 kN. The negotiations on offsets were carried out last year with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and some other agencies. After the contract for the Rafale jets is signed, there will be a six months window to finalise the offset, officials said.
As regards other offset deals mutually agreed between the two sides, France has offered to provide stealth, radar and thrust vectoring for missiles technologies besides others to DRDO and domestic defence firms.
The French are hoping that they will have a bigger share in the Indian Defence market and see the Rafale contract as a great breakthrough. They are also hoping that India will eventually go in for more Rafale aircraft, possibly under the ‘Make in India’ route.