U.S. President Joe Biden left for the 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi on Thursday, with plans to hold a bilateral meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the production of General Electric (NYSE:GE) jet engines and civil nuclear technology. The U.S. is expecting 'meaningful progress' in these discussions, according to a statement made by U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday.
Earlier this year, U.S. General Electric (US GE) and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Indian government's aerospace and defence manufacturing firm, signed an agreement to jointly manufacture fighter jet engines in India. The partnership aims to produce engines for the Indian Air Force domestically, aligning with Prime Minister Modi's 'Make in India' vision.
The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace's F414 engines as part of the Indian Air Force's Light Combat Aircraft Mk2 program. This follows GE Aerospace's earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the Indian Air Force under the same program. The company also plans to continue its collaboration with the Indian government on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Mk2 engine program.
In April, GE opened its gates for the transfer of technology to India, marking a significant step towards the indigenous manufacture of jet engines. This deepens GE's investment in India's military sector. HAL continues to assemble the GE F404 family of engines that have powered each generation of the Tejas, a light combat aircraft (LCA) that evolved from that project.
On the commercial side, Air India announced a significant purchase of aircraft powered by engines built by GE and CFM International, a joint company between GE and Safran (EPA:SAF) Aircraft Engines. This deal, one of the largest worldwide, includes 400 single-aisle and 70 twin-aisle planes, signaling a recovery in commercial aviation following years of COVID-related shutdowns.
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