'Need a separate engine': Ex-IAF officer warns Kaveri 1.0 won't cut it for AMCA, Tejas Mk2

Former IAF fighter pilot and Group Captain Ajay Ahlawat has called for the development of a new indigenous fighter jet engine — Kaveri 2.0 — to power India's next-generation aircraft like the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and Tejas Mk2.

In a detailed article for The Print, Ahlawat outlined the technical, financial, and strategic bottlenecks of the original Kaveri engine programme, arguing that while the current Kaveri variant has come far, it cannot meet future thrust requirements.

"The success of the Tejas programme, including Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), now hinges on our ability to field an engine that not only performs exceptionally well, but also isn’t entirely reliant on foreign suppliers,” Ahlawat wrote. He warned that despite the recent improvements, the Kaveri engine has limited room left for performance upgrades, especially beyond its current 80 kN thrust capability.

Ahlawat's remarks come in the wake of the "Fund Kaveri Engine" campaign trending on X, with growing public support and increased momentum for indigenous defence capability following Operation Sindoor. On April 30, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced enhanced funding for the Kaveri engine project at a defence industry conclave in New Delhi.

Tracing its roots back to 1989, the Kaveri programme has spanned over three decades. Originally launched by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) to power the Tejas fighter with an 80 kN indigenous turbofan engine, the project faced multiple setbacks — ranging from the 1998 post-Pokhran sanctions to stalled technology transfer talks with Snecma in 2013. The engine was formally delinked from the Tejas platform in 2008.

Yet the programme has evolved. The Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE), a dry version for unmanned systems, is set for flight testing in 2025. The Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT) has also passed Navy specifications. Recent progress includes reducing engine weight and achieving near-target thrust with assistance from BrahMos Aerospace.

Despite these milestones, Ahlawat stressed that "Kaveri is a fully mature engine now," and that to achieve thrust levels upwards of 100 kN for AMCA and Tejas Mk2, a new design is necessary. "We would need to develop a separate engine, which we could call Kaveri 2.0, that addresses the critical shortfall in Kaveri 1.0."

He laid out two paths forward: developing a new engine independently or partnering with an OEM like Safran, GE, or Rolls-Royce. “A partnership with an OEM like Safran, which has expressed interest in co-developing a 110–130 kN engine for the AMCA, could bridge critical gaps...while allowing India to retain significant IP rights,” he noted. However, he stressed that “the bottom line would be the degree of sovereign control we would be able to exercise.”

Ahlawat compared the situation with other Tejas components such as Elta radars, Martin-Baker ejection seats, and Cobham refuelling probes. While these are imported, "none of these equipment suppliers acting alone or even in concert can cause prolonged grounding of the fleet." In contrast, reliance on a foreign engine remains a critical dependency.

The Kaveri project has so far cost approximately $400 million — small compared to the $2–5 billion budgets of global engine manufacturers like Safran, Rolls-Royce, and GE. The engine's journey has been slowed by issues of funding, access to materials, talent retention, and unrealistic early expectations, according to Ahlawat.

"The need for an indigenous aero engine has now become an urgent national demand,” he wrote, adding that India's political, scientific, and military leadership is aligned on this goal. "All we need now is sustained funding, international collaboration, and public momentum to see this mission reach a logical conclusion."