India's AMCA Fighter Jet Program Faces Engine Procurement Challenges

India is advancing its Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) program, which aims to field a fifth‑generation fighter. For the Mk2 version, the government is weighing offers from Britain’s Rolls‑Royce and France’s Safran to co‑develop a 120‑kN engine. Both firms are proposing extensive technology transfer and local industrial participation; Rolls‑Royce has pledged full intellectual‑property rights, while Safran promises 100% transfer based on its M88 family. New Delhi intends to retain primary IP and has earmarked substantial funding, seeking to diversify suppliers beyond its existing French partnership.

The programme also encountered a setback when U.S. supplier General Electric raised the price of its F414 engine – originally slated for the AMCA Mk1 prototypes and the Tejas Mk‑2 – from about ₹70‑80 crore per unit to over ₹200 crore. The sharp cost increase has led the Aeronautical Development Agency and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to explore alternative engine options, underscoring the critical role of engine procurement to the jet’s development timeline, with Mk1 flight tests expected around 2027.