&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘It’s in national interest,’ say Indians, make ‘Fund Kaveri Engine’ trend on X. What is it?")
Hundreds of Indian citizens, defence experts, and enthusiasts took to social media on Monday and urged the Union government to expedite the development of the Kaveri Engine, a symbol of India’s pursuit of self-reliance in military aviation technology.
As the support swelled, the users soon made ‘Fund Kaveri Engine’ the top trend on X, reflecting the growing sentiment among the public. Many users appealed to PM Narendra Modi for allocating more funds and resources and fast-tracking the development of the Kaveri engine, emphasising its importance in the nation’s interest.
The goal is to end India’s dependence on foreign engines for building fighter jets, thereby further promoting self-reliance in defence technology.
Users used the hashtag #FundKaveriEngine to express national pride and emphasised the strategic importance of self-reliance in defence technology.
What is the Kaveri Engine project?
The Kaveri Engine is an indigenous jet engine developed by India’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a lab under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
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According to DRDO, it’s a low-bypass, twin-spool turbofan engine designed to produce around 80 kN of thrust, initially intended to power the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
The Kaveri Engine features a flat-rated design to minimise thrust loss in high-temperature and high-speed conditions. Its twin-lane Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system ensures precise control, with a manual backup for added reliability. This design enables the engine to maintain optimal performance in various operating conditions.
The Kaveri Engine project was started in the 1980s with the aim to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign engines for its fighter jets but faced challenges like thrust deficiencies, weight issues, and delays due to sanctions after India’s 1998 nuclear tests.
The project was delinked from the Tejas programme in 2008, and a derivative version is now being developed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the Ghatak stealth UCAV, with recent progress in in-flight testing and private sector involvement, such as Godrej Aerospace delivering engine modules.
Setbacks and inordinate delays
The Kaveri engine project has faced significant delays and setbacks due to various challenges. These include the complexity of developing advanced technologies like aerothermal dynamics, metallurgy, and control systems from scratch. Western sanctions denied critical materials, such as single-crystal blades, while India lacked skilled manpower and high-altitude test facilities, and had to rely on foreign setups like Russia’s CIAM.
Some unrealistic hopes, like powering the Tejas fighter without validation, and the collapse of international collaboration with Snecma, further complicated the project.
