HAL chief says India-US deal to produce F-414 jet engines to be sealed by March 2026

The F-414 project is crucial for India's ambitious AMCA programme

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NEW DELHI: The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) will seal a deal with US defence major GE Aerospace by March to jointly produce a jet engine to power the next generation of India's combat aircraft, the aviation behemoth's chief DK Sunil has said.

The mega plan to jointly produce the F-414 engines in India was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington DC in 2023, though the programme suffered from several slippages because of protracted negotiations on the sharing of advanced technologies.

In an interview with PTI Videos, HAL Chairman and Managing Director Sunil said crucial negotiations with GE Aerospace on the transfer of technologies for the engines were concluded and both sides are now focusing on the commercial aspects of the project.