India’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has secured approval to integrate the Dry Kaveri engine with a newly developed afterburner onto an older Limited Series Production (LSP) variant of the LCA Tejas fighter jet.

India’s indigenous Kaveri jet engine program is set to receive a critical thrust upgrade, with the afterburner power projected to reach 78.4 kiloNewtons (kN). The enhancement, reportedly being pursued in collaboration with the Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace venture, could allow the engine to deliver performance comparable to the American GE F404 — the powerplant currently