India Inches Closer To Develop Aero Engine; Kaveri Engine Project Achieved Higher Technology Readiness Level

Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) sanctioned Kaveri Engine project in 1989. In a statement in the Parliament, Ministry of Defence declared that it laid the crucial foundation and milestones were achieved. Further on the development based on the technical know-how there are 9 Full prototype engines and 4 core engines built; 3217 hours of engine testing conducted. 

Prototype engines completed full spectrum of Altitude tests & Flying Test Bed (FTB) trials.  This is the first time that an indigenously developed military gas turbine engine was flight tested 

Kaveri engine project has achieved higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in many critical technology domains and those technologies are being used in the various engine development programmes of the country.  Further the engines are used as test vehicles for validating next generation technologies.

Aero engine is a critical area of aerospace engineering. India is struggling hard to achieve high thrust turbofan engine for multirole fighter jets. It is the fact that the aero engine technology remains the most complex and allusive to achieve.  Progress in the core areas of aero engine like  advance material, forging, turbine, fan blade technology, combustor has been slow but steady.

Military gas turbine engines form an integral part of aircraft system. India being an aspiring nation took a bold stride in developing an indigenous military gas turbine very early with challenging requirements through the ambitious Kaveri engine development for LCA Tejas. Kaveri Engine, a 4th generation military engine, is the first indigenous aero gas turbine engine designed and built in the country. 

In an interaction, G. Satheesh Reddy, Secretary DDR&D & Chairman DRDO highlights the major breakthrough in the process. He confirms to the author that through this indigenous DRDO project on military gas turbines, sufficient Technology Readiness Level (TRL) in the field of aero engines for fighter aircraft has been attained in the country. 

"This capability is aiding the nation in producing crucial propulsion systems for unmanned aerial vehicles & weapon platforms along with long range weapon delivery systems, like cruise missile systems. As you are aware, these engines are denied by global OEM’s for strategic applications," he points out.  

So the investment on such critical technological breakthroughs can not be mapped in the short term basis. The process itself unfolding many different challenges due to the fact that technology is being denied by foreign OEMs to us. 

As G. Satheesh Reddy validates: "Knowledge, skill set, experience and expertise gained through this engine development programme is invaluable for the country and future engine programmes."  

Almost, a non-existent ecosystem has been built in the country through the Kaveri project for 4th generation class of engine technology. With the technologies developed through the Kaveri project, today India is in a position to indigenously develop a power plant for the strategic application of Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV). 

More than 3200 hours of engine testing has been completed which includes   Simulated Altitude Test and Flying Test Bed (FTB) trials. Twelve types of Materials (Titanium, Steel and Super alloys) have been indigenously developed and type certified for aerospace standard. These alloys have been used in many aerospace and other programmes in the country. 

Majority of the Titanium forgings have been developed indigenously and certified for gas turbine applications. Directionally Solidified (DS) investment casting technology has been developed successfully for high temperature turbine blade.

Funds on R&D:

At present, the LCA Tejas is integrated with an imported engine. However, in future, it is proposed to develop indigenous engines for powering our own aircrafts such as LCA variants and AMCA in association with an International Engine House.  The technological capabilities built through the Kaveri engine project will be utilised.  

LCA Tejas, Flight Operational Clearance (FOC) configuration demands higher thrust than the intended engine requirement. Hence the Kaveri in the present architecture cannot be integrated.  In order to induct with LCA Tejas, a modified engine version is required.