GE Aerospace has shipped four more F404-IN20 engines for India’s Tejas fighter programme, the company said on Wednesday, as it works to clear a supply bottleneck that has held up the Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A.
“GE Aerospace shipped four F404–IN20 engines in September 2026,” a company spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that the company remains focused on delivering the engines needed to power India’s indigenous Tejas fighter jets, and is proud to partner with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Indian Air Force.
The September consignment follows three engines shipped to HAL in August. The latest shipment takes the number of F404-IN20 engines delivered for the Tejas Mk1A programme to 14, according to defence portal idrw.org. HAL had received six engines by the end of the 2025-26 financial year, and deliveries have accelerated since. The same report says eight more engines are targeted for delivery by the end of 2026.
A contract years in the making
HAL signed a ₹5,375-crore contract with GE in 2021 for 99 F404-IN20 engines to power the Tejas Mk1A. Deliveries have fallen well behind schedule, holding up the programme. HAL has yet to deliver a single Tejas Mk1A fighter to the Indian Air Force.
Former HAL chairman D K Sunil told ANI in April that GE had assured delivery of 20 F404 engines between June and December 2026. Reports say HAL has applied contractual penalties and liquidated damages for past delays.
Why the engines matter
The F404-IN20 is a version of GE’s F404 engine adapted for India’s single-engine fighter. After GE worked with the Aeronautical Development Agency in the 1980s, the engine was selected to power the Tejas in 2004. The Indian Air Force has ordered 180 Mk1A aircraft from HAL, so a steady flow of engines is central to meeting its requirement.
The Air Force is facing a shortage of fighter squadrons, and the Tejas Mk1A is meant to fill much of that gap. HAL has been integrating the incoming engines into aircraft on its production line.
With 14 of the 99 engines delivered, the pace over the remaining months of 2026 will show whether GE can meet the delivery assurance given earlier this year. Reaching the figure of 20 engines for the June-to-December window would require a sharp increase in monthly shipments.
