The bean counters will not even attempt spending money in testing another engine on Tejas. There must have been a parallel program to validate different engines in terms of contingency. Anyway now the fools has walked us into this trap. Now there is only one thing to do. Threaten to cancel the second lot of GE engines for Tejas Mk1A if GE does not start delivering. Before that start putting penalty for failing to adhere to contract. Also the Tejas Mk2 testing etc can go on with GE 414, but seeing the level of control the U.S want to put on us, it's very unwise to rely on US and GE for F414 engines. For sure, this order and discussion should be shelved and we need to find alternative quickly and test those engines for Mk2 as well on few more prototype and eventually go with it. Also need to find alternative engine for Mk1A. Kaveri with 82kN can go into it.
Rather than wait patiently for another decade, IAF, MoD, HAL all should be taking whatever Thrust Kaveri engine is available and manufacturing them and flying it on the Tejas Mk1A. Even if you can go with 73KN variant for a year or two. Then get the 82KN variant tested and equip Tejas. Continue work on the 85KN variant Kaveri 2.0 that will replace all the engines across Tejas fleet. A project of Kaveri 3.0 that is similar in size and giving the same or better Thrust even slightly better need to be invested and worked on so that there is alternative for the imported engine other than F414. Else tomorrow we will be relying on France or others. Short, medium term, long term all need to be looked at and issues resolved.
The money that we save will be able to provide for all that and engines for more fighters as well. At least I am happy that this happened. Now everyone will wake up from their cozy sleep and alarm bells will ring and Kaveri project will get a new life. Probably the project for HAETF is all because of this. If U.S sanctions us, Complete Atmanirbharta will be achieved in half a decade.
Seeing the Geopolitical happenings, this is about to happen sooner. So brace for impact and get your act together to go complete Atmanirbharta. We have to be a Russia when it comes to weaponry. We are almost there, the effort need to be to get indigenous weaponary inducted in versions or variants rather than keep on going with trails. Set goals, once achieved, induct it and continue work with the next variant. This is what Manohar Parrikar gave us. Iterative induction and development. There are no other alternatives.
