Date: May 28, 2025
By: Bharat Global Time Defence Bureau
Location: New Delhi
In a historic push for indigenous defense technology, the Indian government has greenlit massive new funding for DRDO’s long-stalled Kaveri engine project—now reborn as Kaveri 2.0.
This bold move signals a strategic pivot away from American dependency, as India gears up to power the upcoming Tejas Mk2 fighter jet with a 100% Indian engine, marking a significant leap in Atmanirbhar Bharat’s defense doctrine.
What’s New?
- Project: Kaveri Engine – Phase 2.0
- Developer: DRDO-GTRE (Gas Turbine Research Establishment)
- Funding Approved: ₹7,800 crore (approx. $940 million)
- Target Platform: Tejas Mk2, AMCA prototypes (eventually)
This announcement comes after years of technical roadblocks, diplomatic friction, and alleged foreign interference that slowed India’s dream of jet engine independence.
Sabotage Allegations: Has the U.S. Been Holding Us Back?
Multiple Indian defence insiders and retired DRDO scientists have long hinted that “foreign partners,” particularly the U.S., have historically discouraged India’s jet engine ambitions—fearing a loss of their own export leverage.
Sources point to:
- Repeated technology denial regimes (e.g., restrictions on single-crystal blade tech)
- Broken promises on joint engine development with American firms
- Attempts to push U.S.-made GE-F414 engines as permanent solutions for Tejas Mk2, instead of allowing India to develop its own
A senior defense analyst commented:
“The Kaveri delay was never just about metallurgy—it was geopolitics in engineering form.”
With this renewed funding, India is finally shedding that dependency cloak and moving toward complete engine sovereignty.
Kaveri 2.0: What’s Different?
Kaveri 2.0 isn’t just a revival—it’s a redesigned, next-generation propulsion effort using lessons from the past, enhanced by:
- French Safran consultancy support (minus transfer of full ToT)
- ISRO’s cryogenic metallurgy expertise
- New breakthroughs in heat-resistant turbine materials
- A core redesign for higher thrust output (90–100 kN) to power Tejas Mk2 and even future UCAVs
Unlike the original Kaveri, which stalled at 70–75 kN thrust, the upgraded version is targeting afterburning capability and stealth-optimized IR signatures, making it suitable for both Tejas Mk2 and AMCA.
Tejas Mk2: Indian Jet, Indian Engine
The Tejas Mk2 is India’s ambitious 4.5-gen multirole fighter with:
- Enhanced radar and weapons
- Extended range and payload
- More powerful engine requirement (~98 kN class)
Until now, it was slated to use GE-F414 engines (U.S.). But the new DRDO directive proposes that an Indian-made Kaveri 2.0 engine will power at least the final production batches, if not the prototypes.
This is a strategic shift, signaling India’s intention to cut engine imports and assert aerospace independence.
Bigger Picture: Toward Full Strategic Autonomy
This isn’t just about engines. This is about removing decades-old bottlenecks in India’s defense ecosystem.
The Kaveri 2.0 is part of a larger movement:
- Indigenous AESA radars (Uttam)
- Local EW systems, missiles, airframes
- Naval propulsion projects and high-bypass turbofans for transport jets (under consideration)
If successful, India will join an elite club of nations that can design, build, and field combat aircraft and their engines entirely on their own—a capability only the U.S., Russia, France, and China currently enjoy.
Final Thoughts
India’s decision to bypass foreign pressure and fuel its own jet engine revolution is more than symbolic. It’s strategic. It’s sovereignty with turbines.
With Kaveri 2.0, Tejas Mk2 may soon roar not just with Indian wings—but with an Indian heart.
