India's defence ministry has recommended partnering with France to develop next-generation fighter jet engines in a ₹61,000 crore breakthrough project. After evaluating offers from France's Safran and UK's Rolls Royce, officials selected the French proposal offering complete technology transfer and a timeline aligned with India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) development.

The collaboration will produce 120kN engines for future platforms, marking a crucial step toward self-reliance. Currently, all Indian fighter jets use foreign engines, with India requiring over 250 next-generation engines in the coming decade.

While the first AMCA batch may still need US-made GE 414 engines, this partnership addresses India's long-standing goal of indigenous engine manufacturing after previous efforts under Project Kaveri failed to meet thrust requirements.