Kaveri turbofan engine approved for flight testing

Why in news?

• The Kaveri engine has been approved for flight testing.
  • The announcement was made by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
• Originally designed to power the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
• The Kaveri engine had faced several technical hurdles over the years.
  • This led to the cancellation of its certification for the Tejas programme.
• Despite this, DRDO continued to develop the dry version of the engine for use in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as the lethal stealth UCAV programme.
• The Kaveri engine has undergone extensive ground testing, achieving a dry thrust of around 49-51 kN, suitable for UAV applications.

Kaveri Turbofan Engine In-Flight Testing:

• The approval for in-flight testing has been received after several phases.
  • This includes high-altitude simulations conducted in Russia and extensive ground testing in India.
• This involves installing the Kaveri engine on a flight test bed (FTB).
  • This will evaluate its performance under real-world flight conditions.
• This phase will evaluate how well the engine responds to different flight dynamics and integrates with aircraft systems.

Kaveri Turbofan Engine:

• In the 1980s, India took the first step towards developing an indigenous jet engine and the Kaveri project was launched.
• It is an indigenously developed turbofan engine of India.
• It has been developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
• It was aimed at reducing the country's dependence on foreign technology.
• Its aim was to develop a powerful and reliable engine for the Tejas fighter aircraft.
• Features of Kaveri Engine:
  • It is a turbofan engine, which provides high thrust and good fuel efficiency.
  • This engine incorporates several indigenous technologies, such as the use of high-temperature metals and advanced control systems.

Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE):

• It is a leading laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.
• This institute is dedicated to the design, development and integration of advanced aero gas turbine engines and their derivatives to meet the defence requirements of the country.