France Hands Over Its Most Guarded Military Secret To India – Technology That America And Russia Never Dared To Share | World News
For decades, India’s warplanes had a major weakness; It was a dependence so deep that the country’s defense ambitions remained dependent on foreign powers. Every Sukhoi, every MiG, every Teja flying in the skies of India relied on a foreign engine built elsewhere, maintained elsewhere, controlled elsewhere. This single gap has hindered India’s drive for true military self-sufficiency, a technological pinnacle that has always seemed elusive. So far.
France’s aerospace giant Safran has finally broken this barrier. Rather than selling engines or offering limited licensed production, Safran agreed to something no country has ever given India: full, 100% transfer of jet engine technology. This includes the ultra-complex “hot section,” the part of the engine where temperatures peak and true capacity is built. This is the same technology that the United States refuses to share and Russia keeps to itself. Now France is giving it to India.
Agreement That Breaks All the Rules
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“This is a complete technology transfer. We, along with DRDO, will basically develop a new engine together in India. This is unique because no one else has made this offer,” Safran CEO Olivier Andries told ET in an interview.
This is not just talk, it is a real event. The 120-140 kilonewton engine of the twin-engine Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), India’s own fifth-generation stealth fighter jet, will now be developed and manufactured in India. Major players like Tata, L&T and Adani Defense are set to participate in this massive national project.
7 Billion Dollar Revolution
Government sources say the joint venture with DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) will cost around $7 billion. But the real breakthrough is this: India will own the intellectual property of key parts of the engine, including compressors and turbines. In simple terms, India will have all the technology.
Dinakar Peri of Carnegie India summed it up well: Jet engine technology is the highest level of military technology and India’s biggest obstacle to true self-reliance. If this agreement truly provides 100% technology transfer, India needs to make a road map to fully absorb skills and knowledge.
Why Does This Change Everything?
Currently every Indian fighter jet is powered by foreign engines. Most of the cost of a fighter jet goes to the engine and its maintenance. India’s Kaveri Project tried to break this dependence but failed to create enough momentum.
Saffron doesn’t stop there. The company agreed to set up an assembly line for M88 engines used in Rafale fighter jets after receiving approval from the French government. “We are ready to both develop and produce in India,” emphasized Safran CEO Olivier Andries.
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