Overview
- Negotiations with GE over the F414 engine reportedly stalled after quoted unit prices rose from about ₹70–80 crore to more than ₹200 crore, a development reported on Wednesday by multiple outlets.
- Rolls‑Royce formally offered to co‑develop a new 120 kN‑class engine with a core test by 2030, a first flight by 2034 and production by 2036 if contracted by end‑2026, and promised full transfer of technology and IP.
- DRDO and the Aeronautical Development Agency have opened talks with alternative suppliers, including Rolls‑Royce and Safran, because the AMCA prototype RFP requires 15 engines and a first flight within 30 months of contract award.
- Separate GE–HAL talks to set up licensed F414 manufacture in India are said to have finished on technical terms, but commercial details on price, investment and delivery remain unresolved and could take months.
- If high GE prices hold, engine costs would sharply raise per‑aircraft bills and risk delay to the AMCA schedule, while a switch to suppliers offering deeper technology transfer could accelerate India’s domestic propulsion capability over the long term.