GE Aerospace to set up repair facility in India for Tejas fleet

• US defence major GE Aerospace announced a contract with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to establish an in-country depot facility for the F404-IN20 engines that power IAF’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas fleet on April 13.

• The facility will be set up by the IAF with technical inputs from GE Aerospace and is expected to help India’s indigenous defence sustainment effort. 

• Once operational, the facility will eliminate the need to depend on the overseas repair centers, significantly improving turnaround times.

• The depot facility will be owned, operated, and maintained by the Indian Air Force with GE Aerospace providing technical inputs, training, support staff, and the supply of necessary spares and specialised equipment.

• Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is India’s first indigenous multi-role fighter aircraft designed and developed to meet the requirements of the Indian Air Force. 

• The single-engine aircraft is a supersonic, light weight, all-weather aircraft designed for multiple combat roles. 

• It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles. 

• The 4.5 generation aircraft has advanced avionics, glass cockpit, digital quadruplex fly-by-wire flight control system and large percentage of composite structures.

• GE Aerospace is a global aerospace propulsion, services, and systems leader with an installed base of approximately 50,000 commercial and 30,000 military aircraft engines.  

• GE Aerospace has been a partner to India’s aviation industry for over 40 years. 

• More than 1,400 GE Aerospace and partner engines are in service, powering major Indian airlines. 

• GE Aerospace’s defence engines and systems power the Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft Tejas Mk1 and helicopters, and the Indian Navy’s aircraft carrier battleships and frigates.

• Other than the Tejas, GE Aerospace engines also power the Indian Navy’s P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and MH60R helicopters, as well as the Indian Air Force’s AH-64 Apache helicopters, while LM2500 marine gas turbines provide the power for the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and the P-17 Shivalik Class frigates.

• Its Pune manufacturing facility and 13 local India partners are part of the company’s global supply chain. 

• Researchers and engineers at the company’s 25-year-old India Technology Centre in Bengaluru are building the latest aviation technologies.