In a major boost to India’s defense self-reliance, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on August 22, 2025, at the ET World Leaders Forum, a government-to-government partnership with French aerospace firm Safran to co-develop a high-thrust jet engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), the country’s indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter. The collaboration includes 100% technology transfer and full intellectual property rights for India, focusing on a new 110-120 kilonewton engine to power the AMCA Mk2 variant, enabling supercruise, advanced stealth, and high agility for air superiority and strike missions. The AMCA project, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 2024, aims for prototype rollout by late 2026 or early 2027, first flight in 2028, certification by 2032, and induction starting in 2034-2035, initially using GE-414 engines for early prototypes while building domestic manufacturing capabilities through DRDO and industry partnerships.