NEW DELHI: The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is likely to approve an indigenous marine engine development programme for the Indian Navy at its meeting scheduled later this week, TNIE has learnt.
The proposal is expected to be taken up under the Make-I category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020, which provides government funding support for indigenous design and development of critical defence technologies.
Under the Make-I framework, government funding for prototype development is capped at Rs 250 crore per Development Agency.
However, sources said the overall marine engine programme could involve investments in the range of Rs. 4,000 to 5,000 crore, with government funding expected to cover up to 70 per cent of the prototype development cost.
The proposal is expected to be taken up alongside other major agenda items, including discussions related to the proposed acquisition of 114 Rafale fighter aircraft.
Sources said four prototype engines are planned under the programme, with a minimum order quantity of 40 engines envisaged initially. The Navy is looking at developing a marine gas turbine in the 24-28 MW power class for main propulsion systems used on large surface combatants such as destroyers and frigates, which form the backbone of the Navy’s surface combatant fleet.
At present, Navy’s frontline warships rely on foreign origin gas turbine-based propulsion systems sourced primarily from Ukrainian firm Zorya-Mashproekt and American manufacturer General Electric.
The Navy has previously supported indigenous efforts, including the marine derivative of the Kaveri engine developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), along with localisation initiatives through technology transfer arrangements involving Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). However, sources said the current programme envisages a broader industry-led development model.
Against this backdrop, the Navy reached out to private industry towards the end of last year seeking responses for the indigenous development of a 24-28 MW marine gas turbine, as part of an initial exercise to assess technical, manufacturing and financial capabilities within Indian industry.
The outreach, a routine step in the development process, was aimed at evaluating whether domestic firms could undertake the design, development and production of high-power marine gas turbines for frontline warships.
According to sources familiar with the process, companies were asked to provide details of their experience in gas turbine design and integration, availability of research and development infrastructure, manufacturing capability for critical processes such as forging, casting and precision machining, testing facilities and quality assurance systems. Firms were also required to outline development timelines, proposed levels of indigenous content, technology acquisition plans and their ability to provide long-term maintenance and lifecycle support.
“The marine engine programme, which will have the Navy as an active partner in the development process, is aimed at reducing long-term dependence on imported propulsion systems and ensuring assured availability of critical components for naval platforms,” a source said.
“The indigenous development of marine gas turbines is also expected to generate technological gains in areas such as high-temperature metallurgy, advanced materials and precision engineering, while opening potential export opportunities among friendly navies in the Indian Ocean Region.”
As reported by TNIE earlier, the upcoming DAC meeting is also expected to discuss the proposed acquisition of 114 additional Rafale fighter aircraft, estimated to be worth around Rs. 3.25 lakh crore.