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| A Model of the AMCA (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — US cooperation in engine technology was a top issue for Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar when he met US Defense Secretary Ash Carter Wednesday and Thursday in Washington, said an Indian Defence Ministry source.
India needs engine technology for its proposed homegrown advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), which is still on the drawing board. Availability of a higher thrust advanced engine would kick-start the AMCA program, under which India proposes to build medium combat aircraft similar to the Rafale, which it is buying from France, said a senior scientist of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is developing AMCA.
Another priority is cooperation on development of an electro-magnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) for the proposed Indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vishal, the MoD source added.
India and the US are already discussing cooperation in jet engine EMALS system for the carrier under the India-US Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), a forum set by the two countries to identify defense projects that could be taken up under joint development.
The DTTI forum officials in three of their meetings have discussed the possibility of cooperation in jet engine technology, the MoD source added.
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