New Delhi: The INDUS X, also known as the India-United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem, was launched on June 21 in Washington DC, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State visit to the United States. The event was organised by Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and the US Department of Defense (DoD), and hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC).
The Indian delegation, led by Anurag Bajpai, Joint Secretary (DIP), Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence (MoD), participated in the two-day event.
It featured a joint showcasing of 15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups from various domains such as maritime, AI, autonomous systems, and space. This initiative was aimed to present the technologies developed by these start-ups to Indian and US stakeholders. Anurag Bajpai emphasised the significance of co-developing and co-producing advanced technologies by Indian and US start-ups for the global market. He also called for the establishment of future collaboration mechanisms across industries, academia, and investors.
The event aimed to enhance collaborations across different domains, including government, academia, and industry, with a particular focus on the start-up sector. Discussions were held on export control regulations related to defence technologies.
Besides, a significant agreement was reached between the US multinational conglomerate company, General Electric (GE), and the Indian firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
This agreement allows GE to manufacture F414 jet engines in India and transfer technology to HAL. The transfer of technology includes at least 10 other critical jet engine technologies, which will enable India to produce fighter jet engines for the Indian Air Force. The agreement had been discussed in earlier talks between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, as well as during the meeting between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his American counterpart Jake Sullivan in February, which led to the operationalisation of the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).
The F414 military aircraft engine, which will be manufactured in India, incorporates several advanced features. It will have a new high-flow design and stage 2/3 blisk. The annular combustor will feature a multi-hole cooling design, and the High-Pressure Turbine (HPT) will have single crystal blades, boltless retainers, and a thermally matched stator.
The Low-Pressure Turbine (LPT) will also include certain features. The engine will have a maximum diameter of 35 inches, a length of 154 inches, a thrust class of 22,000 lb, an airflow of 170 lb/sec, and a pressure ratio of 30:1. It will also include advanced controls such as a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and advanced engine analytics capability.