In this episode, "Def Savvy," Abhishek Bhalla and host Dev Goswami delve into two significant defense acquisitions. Firstly, India and the US are on the brink of finalizing a groundbreaking defense deal. This deal aims to facilitate a partnership between India's state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the American firm General Electric (GE) for the joint manufacturing of indigenous jet engines for fighter aircraft.

The deal is anticipated to be sealed during Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to the US later this month. The primary objective is to manufacture the GE F414 engine, which was selected by India in 2010 for the Mark II version of the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. Currently, Tejas is equipped with the GE F404 engine.

How will this agreement significantly benefit HAL?

The episode also discusses India's recent discussions with Germany regarding the progress of a deal for the procurement of six advanced conventional submarines under Project-75I for the Indian Navy. During his visit, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius expressed his strong support for the German company Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).

However, why has Project 75-I, which involves the development of six submarines, faced delays? Could it be due to the navy's requirements being deemed unfeasible?

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