Kaveri Engine
India’s Path to Jet Engine Independence
India is making great progress in the field of defence technology.
Due to the strong efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, India is selling defence equipment worth billions of dollars to other countries,
And if we talk about the major achievements among these, the indigenous fighter aircraft Tejas.
However, some key technologies are still sourced from abroad. One of them is fighter jet engines.
To change this India is working on its own engine called the Kaveri engine. This project is essential for achieving full independence in jet engine technology.
Also Read: Technological Warfare: A Global Outlook, Trends Towards Future Warfare
Why is the Kaveri Engine important?
The Kaveri engine is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) through its Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
The plan is to use this engine in India’s fighter jets, including future projects like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAV).
- The project was started several years ago but was delayed.
- Earlier the plan was to use Kaveri in LCA Tejas, but the engine could not be ready in time and could not provide adequate power.
- Instead, the Tejas aircraft use F404 engines from US company General Electric (GE). GE has been slow in delivering these engines, delaying the production of the new Tejas Mark-1A.
- This slowdown is affecting the Indian Air Force which needs more fighter jets.
Challenges in developing the Kaveri Engine
India has limited access to some critical technologies. Attempts to collaborate with foreign companies have not always been successful.
For example – earlier India had started talks with French company Snecma which ended in 2013 as they were not willing to fully share the technology.
Moreover, testing has always been a challenging task for India. India sometimes relies on other countries like Russia to test engine components. Even after being developed the Kaveri engine produced only 70-75 kilonewtons (kN) of thrust.
Tejas jets require at least 90-100 kN for optimal performance. This gap has shifted the focus of Kaveri to future projects like AMCA and UCAV.
Creating a jet engine like Kaveri is highly complex. It involves advanced fields such as stated
- Aerothermal dynamics
- Material science and advanced metallurgy
- Control systems
The “Fund Kaveri Engine” movement
A new trend began on social media on 26th-May-2025. This movement called #FundKaveriEngine urges the Indian government to increase funding for the Kaveri engine.
It was started by a social media user known as Zoomerjeet who creatively responded to Prime Minister Modi’s tweets asking for more support.
- So far about Rs. 2000 crores have been invested in Kaveri.
- Supporters of the movement believe that at least Rs 16,000 to 17,000 crore is needed to complete the project soon.
- They cite global examples where the cost of development of a jet engine is around Rs 40,000 crore.
- More funding can speed up the work and make India self-reliant in jet engine technology.
Why more funding is essential
Jet engines are important for the defence power of a country and the latest example of this is Operation Sindoor . Which requires more investment to meet the following points
- This will help in faster completion of the Kaveri engine project.
- India can reduce dependence on foreign engines.
- Defence exports and technological strength will improve.
- Indigenous projects like AMCA and UCAV can move forward smoothly.
Making the defence sector sufficiently strong and self-reliant
India’s efforts to develop the Kaveri engine reflect its strong commitment to become self reliant in defence technology.
More funding and support is vital to complete this important project. This will not only boost the country’s defence sector but will also increase its technological leadership capabilities in the world.
For more details: DRDO Official Website.
