September 21, 2025
EURASIA REVIEW
By Girish Linganna
Safran’s surprise engine offer for Tejas Mk-2 could break India’s dependence on unreliable US supplies, but comes with serious design challenges
India’s ambitious fighter jet program stands at a crossroads. While American promises of engine technology transfer remain stuck in bureaucratic delays, French aerospace giant Safran has stepped forward with a game-changing proposal that could reshape India’s military aviation future.
The timing couldn’t be more telling. As nearly a dozen Tejas Mk-1A jets sit grounded at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facilities—ready for delivery but waiting for American F-404 engines that simply aren’t arriving—Safran has offered to establish a complete engine manufacturing ecosystem in India.
HAL’s Growing Frustration with American Delays
For HAL, India’s premier aerospace manufacturer, the current situation represents both a crisis and an opportunity. The company has demonstrated remarkable progress in aircraft production, with Tejas Mk-1A jets rolling off assembly lines faster than ever before. Yet these technological marvels remain earthbound, victims of America’s sluggish supply chain and complex export approval processes.
“We have the capability, we have the infrastructure, but we’re being held hostage by foreign suppliers who don’t share our urgency,” says a senior HAL official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The company has delivered only three F-404 engines against much larger requirements, creating a bottleneck that threatens India’s defense preparedness.
This supply crisis isn’t just about numbers—it’s about national pride and strategic autonomy. HAL has invested decades in building indigenous aerospace capabilities, only to find itself dependent on suppliers who treat India’s defense needs as secondary priorities.
The French Alternative: More Than Just Engines
Safran’s proposal goes far beyond a simple engine supply deal. The French company is offering to establish manufacturing facilities in India for two distinct engines—one optimized for the Tejas Mk-2 and another for India’s future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). This represents a quantum leap from the limited technology transfer arrangements typically offered by Western suppliers.
Unlike American companies that often come with strings attached and government oversight, Safran brings a track record of genuine partnership. The company already operates successful joint ventures with HAL, manufacturing helicopter engines that power over 400 Advanced Light Helicopters. This existing relationship provides a foundation of trust and technical understanding that would be invaluable for a fighter jet engine program.
France’s approach to defense cooperation has consistently been more pragmatic and less encumbered by geopolitical considerations. While American defense deals often become hostage to broader diplomatic relationships, French partnerships tend to focus on technical merit and mutual benefit.
The Design Challenge: Engineering Complexity
However, switching from General Electric’s F-414 to a Safran engine would present significant technical challenges. The Tejas Mk-2 was specifically designed around the F-414’s specifications, with every component from air intake systems to exhaust configurations optimized for this particular powerplant.
Changing engines would require extensive redesign of the aircraft’s internal architecture. Different engines have varying thrust characteristics, fuel consumption patterns, and cooling requirements. The aircraft’s center of gravity would shift, potentially affecting flight characteristics and requiring modifications to control systems and software.
The air intake design, carefully crafted to feed the F-414’s appetite for air, might need complete restructuring. Engine mounts, fuel lines, and electrical systems would all require reconfiguration. Even the aircraft’s external dimensions might need adjustment to accommodate different engine dimensions and maintenance requirements.
Yet these challenges aren’t insurmountable for an organization of HAL’s caliber. The company has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to adapt and innovate, from the original Tejas development to ongoing upgrade programs. More importantly, the design modifications could result in a superior aircraft optimized for Indian operational requirements rather than constrained by foreign design philosophies.
India-US Relations: Strain Beneath the Surface
The broader context of India-US defense relations adds another layer of complexity to this situation. Despite public declarations of strategic partnership, ground-level cooperation has been marked by delays, restrictions, and bureaucratic hurdles that suggest fundamental differences in approach.
The July 2023 agreement for F-414 engine manufacturing in India was hailed as a breakthrough, but eighteen months later, the deal remains trapped in approval processes. American defense companies operate under a web of export controls and government oversight that often prioritizes US strategic interests over partner nation requirements.
Recent statements by US Ambassador-designate Sergio Gor about expanding military trade ties ring hollow when set against the reality of empty assembly lines and delayed deliveries. India’s defense planners are increasingly questioning whether American promises of technology transfer and co-production will ever translate into tangible capabilities.
This skepticism extends beyond engines to broader questions about reliability and strategic autonomy. Can India build its defense future on partnerships that are subject to political winds in Washington? The current engine crisis provides a stark answer.
The Strategic Imperative
India’s defense establishment faces a critical shortage of fighter aircraft. With the MiG-21 fleet completely retiring by September 2025 and Jaguar aircraft beginning their phased retirement from 2030 (with complete phase-out by 2035), and geopolitical tensions rising in multiple theaters, every delayed fighter jet delivery represents a gap in national security coverage.
The Indian Air Force requires immediate expansion of its fighter fleet, not prolonged negotiations over technology transfer terms. HAL has proven its manufacturing capabilities; what it needs is reliable partners who can deliver on their commitments.
Safran’s offer provides exactly this reliability. The company’s proposal for complete manufacturing infrastructure would create genuine strategic autonomy, reducing dependence on foreign suppliers who may prioritize their own national interests over India’s security needs.
A Window of Opportunity
For HAL and India’s broader aerospace sector, the current situation represents a pivotal moment. Accepting Safran’s proposal would require significant short-term investments in redesign and retooling, but would deliver long-term strategic independence that no American partnership can match.
The success of existing HAL-Safran collaborations in helicopter engines provides a template for expanded cooperation. Both organizations understand each other’s capabilities and working methods, reducing the risks typically associated with new partnerships.
More importantly, choosing Safran would send a clear message about India’s commitment to diversifying its defense partnerships and reducing over-dependence on any single supplier. This strategic diversification has become essential as global supply chains prove increasingly unreliable.
The Path Forward
As DRDO continues evaluating Safran’s proposal, the decision will ultimately rest on more than technical specifications. It will reflect India’s vision of its place in the global defense ecosystem—as a junior partner dependent on foreign goodwill, or as a confident nation capable of making hard choices in pursuit of strategic autonomy.
The French offer arrives at a moment when American reliability is being questioned across multiple defense programs. For HAL, which has invested decades in building indigenous capabilities, Safran represents not just an alternative supplier but a pathway to genuine technological partnership.
The clock is ticking, with Tejas Mk-2’s first flight scheduled for early 2026. Whatever decision emerges from current deliberations will shape India’s fighter aircraft capabilities for decades to come. In this context, Safran’s offer deserves serious consideration as more than just a backup plan—it could be India’s route to true aerospace independence.
Girish Linganna is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com
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