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| Tejas LCA (File Photo) |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI — India has refocused its homegrown Kaveri engine project, originally intended for its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), to power developmental unmanned attack aircraft, according to a Defence Ministry source.
One reason the Kaveri was shifted to power an unmanned strike air vehicle (USAV) was that Missile Technology Control Regime restrictions prevent foreign suppliers from selling India engines that could give unmanned aerial systems a range greater than 300 kilometers, the MoD source said.
The engine also would be used in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) under development.
The Defence Ministry has not publicly abandoned the Kaveri for the LCA, but the aircraft’s prototype is being powered by the General Electric F404 engine, and a higher-thrust GE-F414 engine has been selected to power the Mark-2 model of LCA.
A scientist with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which is undertaking the USAV and Kaveri projects, said the knowledge acquired during development of the Kaveri can be used in other aerospace applications, including propulsion of the USAV.
Read the full story at DefenseNews