TV
The hashtag #FundKaveriEngine has taken over social media in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, India’s precision strike on terror camps following the Pahalgam attack. This renewed interest comes as the Defence Ministry recently approved the execution model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a major step in India's indigenous 5th-gen fighter jet programme.
Citizens and defence enthusiasts alike are now urging the government to back the Kaveri engine project, a long-standing dream to develop India’s own jet engine and reduce dependency on imports like the American GE F404.
What Is the Kaveri Engine?
The Kaveri engine is a low-bypass, twin-spool turbofan engine developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Initially conceived in the 1980s to power the LCA Tejas, the engine delivers 80 kN of thrust with afterburner and features advanced tech like Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and a flat-rated design for high-speed efficiency.
Why Did the Project Stall?
The Kaveri engine was delinked from the Tejas in 2008 due to its inability to meet required thrust-to-weight ratios and other issues like:
Afterburner inefficiency
High-temperature metallurgy challenges
Lack of indigenous testing facilities, with dependence on Russia
Delayed foreign collaborations, especially with France’s Safran
Budget constraints, coordination gaps, and slow decision-making
Where It Stands Now: From Setback to Second Life
Today, the project is undergoing a revival:
Flight tests are underway in Russia, with just 25 hours of testing left.
Godrej Aerospace has delivered 2 out of 8 modules of the Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE).
Azad Engineering is building advanced turbo gas generators to support military aviation needs.
A 90 kN Kaveri 2.0 version is in the works, potentially replacing the GE engines in Tejas Mk1A post-2035.
Expansion to UAVs and the Navy
The Kaveri is also being repurposed to power the Ghatak stealth UCAV — India’s indigenous combat drone platform. After the successful UAV strikes in Operation Sindoor, this application feels more urgent than ever.
Additionally, the Indian Navy is working with GTRE to adapt the engine into the Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine (KMGT) for powering warships. The KMGT has already passed sea-level trials at Visakhapatnam.
A Moment to Choose Vision Over Dependency
The story of the Kaveri Engine is not just a tale of engineering — it’s a reflection of India’s larger pursuit of sovereignty in defence. From decades of trials to a fresh wave of promise, the engine now stands at the crossroads of history and opportunity. Operation Sindoor has reignited public focus on the urgent need for indigenous capability, and the AMCA project has created the perfect runway.
Funding the Kaveri Engine today is not merely a technological investment — it is a declaration that India is ready to lead in aerospace innovation on its own terms. With renewed momentum, global collaboration, and proven foundational work, Kaveri can be the powerplant of a self-reliant future.
