Let’s talk about India’s Kaveri Engine, that plucky little jet turbine that’s been trying to grow up for virtually four decades, and why it’s high time we told the likes of the USA and France to take a hike. Picture this: We just pulled off Operation Sindoor, a masterclass in non-contact warfare that left Pakistan’s terror camps in smoking ruins, courtesy largely indigenous jugaad, and the world – at least the sensible portion of the world that draw conclusions by examining satellite images – is still buzzing about it.
So, wouldn’t it be natural that people in the Bangalore Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) are dipping their idlis in sambhar during the lunch hour, and wondering why we’re still begging the Amerikki chappus for jet engines when we’ve got the brains to build our own?
Now if I were a little drunk, I would probably squint at this mess and say, “Y’all have been tryin this little stunt since the Reagan administration, and its still not weaned off those foreign teats. Y’all can launch satellites, build nukes, celebrate Diwali in Islamabad’s backyard… and yet you are sending love letters to GE and Safran? What’s the holdup guys?”
Our Firangi Crutch
You have to admit that I’d have had a point. The Kaveri story has been a heartbreak of sanctions, and turbine blades that couldn’t take the heat. Started in the ‘80s to power the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, it was supposed to be India’s ticket to self-reliance. Instead, it hit every pothole: thrust shortfalls, weight issues, and those sneaky 1998 nuclear test sanctions that left GTRE scrounging for parts like a kid at a scrapyard.
Donald Duck… I mean Trump, and that Mini-Napoleon Macron? Oh, they’re happy to help — for a price. GE’s been peddling F404s and F414s to keep Tejas flying, while Safran dangled promises of tech transfers for the Kaveri. But here’s the rub: every deal comes with strings. You all saw how Operation Sindoor got truncated because Uncle and his boyfriend at Pindi were probably whispering sweet nothings while playing their crypto games, while Indian missiles were lighting up the Pakistani sky. And France? They’re all charm and exotic accents until you see the bill. Safran’s 2019 offer to revive Kaveri as part of the Rafale deal fell apart when they quoted a price that could’ve funded a small country. €750 million for a partial tech transfer? Merci, but no thanks.
We know. The establishment knows. These firangi folks have been selling us the same old snake oil since decades. And why would’nt they? If they can keep us hooked on their engines, spare parts, and maintenance contracts till we go broke or worse – turn into professional beggars like Pakistan – why should they plan any different? Reliance on them for critical tech, also interestingly remains a subject of export controls, geopolitical tantrums, supply chain issues, or change of leadership. These indirect factors are a massive leverage. Holding on to such advantages, what reasons would they have for them to wish India breaks free from these constraints?
Operation Sindoor has demonstrated that we can punch above our weight, but it has also exposed the weak link: those shiny Rafales and Tejas jets still need foreign hearts to beat. In this quest for an indigenous heart, guys, we gotta remember that that Kaveri’s not perfect, yet. It’s been a money pit so far, gobbling up ₹28 billion and counting, with only 70.4 kN of thrust when the Tejas needed 81. It’s heavy like that bulked-up bodybuilder in your local gym who forgot to cut. The good thing is that GTRE’s been quietly fixing it.
The dry Kaveri, sans afterburner, hit 48.5 kN in high-altitude tests in Russia last year, surpassing its 46 kN target. It’s cleared for inflight testing on an Il-76, and Godrej’s churning out modules for the Ghatak stealth UCAV. By 2025-26, limited production could start. That’s not just progress; it’s the left middle finger to the naysayers within domestic liberal lobby who called it a pipe dream, and right middle finger to those firangi, neocon“well wishers” that survive on arms business.
I woke up late this morning and realised that the social media is lit with #FundKaveriEngine. It is good to see you all being fed-up with foreign dependence, especially after Sindoor proved what’s possible when you control the playbook. I saw one user go: “Nirmala Sitharaman ji, 18% ki jagha 20% lelo Caramel popcorn pe but Kaveri Engine ko Fund kardo.” Damn right. You folks don’t need Donald Duck and Mini-Me Macron (or was it Mini-Napoleon…? I keep forgetting) to play pretend handholding. You all have the brains, the manpower, the jugaad, and the will. Just move with those already.
Barbells for Crutches
Yes. The path isn’t going to be easy. Jet engines are almost tantric art forms — metallurgy, aerodynamics, and an amount of smart sadhana. India’s short on hi-alt test facilities and single-crystal blade tech. Need strapping up there. And these collaborations with GE or Safran, begin acting as temptations right there. They weaken the minds.
The greatest sadhana that is needed is to internalize the truth that these foreign suppliers are stepping stones, not crutches. Remember, this is a chain: the Kaveri’s lessons would fuel plans for the AMCA and Ghatak, with full IP ownership on the table. It is not just engines we are talking about – it is building sovereignty. And this entire roadmap depends on whether we use GE or Safran as barbells (and practise our squats with them), or as crutches.
So, folks and my fellow drunks, take a bow for Operation Sindoor, but don’t rest. Keep up the noise for the Kaveri funding. Meanwhile I hope that we fix the bugs, so that someone from New Delhi can politely ask the firangi suppliers someday to keep their overpriced toys. If it were up to me, I’d say “Drunk?! So what? I don’t need a nanny to fly my own damn jet!”
