WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is poised to sign off on a deal that would allow General Electric to produce fighter jet engines powering Indian military aircraft in the country, according to three people briefed on the decision.
According to Reuters, A deal finalising the joint production of the engines is expected to be inked and announced by the time US President Joe Biden hosts Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for an official state visit on June 22, the people said on condition of anonymity because the decision hasn’t been made public yet.
The White House said it had jointly received the application to produce the engines in India but declined to comment. GE didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Washington is working to deepen relations with India. It sees deeper army-to-army and technology relations with the South Asian country as a key counterweight to China’s regional dominance.
India, the global largest weapon importer, depends on Russia for nearly half its army supplies and has bought jets, tanks, nuclear submarines and an aircraft carrier over the decades.
New Delhi frustrated Washington by participating in army exercises with Russia and raising purchases of the country’s crude oil, the key funding source for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd had previously planned to use the GE-manufactured 414 engine on a second generation of light-combat aircraft jets. It was in negotiations over the domestic production of those engines.
According to two people briefed on the arrangement, the deal isn’t finalised and requires notification to the United States Congress.
The United States controls what domestic army technology can be shared and sold to other countries.
A broader joint alliance between India and the United States announced earlier this year is designed to encourage companies from both countries to collaborate, especially on army equipment and cutting-edge technology.
While GE offered some transfer of technology to HAL, which would produce the engines as the licensed manufacturer, India is pushing for more advanced technology to be shared, according to one of the people with knowledge of the conversations.
India is keen to get the know-how to make fighter jet engines. Though it can manufacture jets domestically, it can’t produce engines to power them.
HAL uses the lighter GE engine for the 83 light combat fighter jets it manufactures for the Indian Air Force (IAF). India intends to produce more than 350 jets for its air force and navy over the next two decades, which could be powered by the GE 414.
