General Electric has defeated the Eurojet consortium in a contest to provide the engine for a new version of India’s long-delayed Tejas light combat aircraft.

The US manufacturer has won a deal to supply 99 F414-INS6 turbofans for the Tejas MkII, following a selection decision by India’s Aeronautical Development Agency.

“GE Aviation will supply the initial batch of engines and the rest will be manufactured in India under a transfer of technology arrangement,” says GE India chief executive John Flannery in a 1 October statement.

“The F414-INS6 is the highest-thrust F414 model and includes state-of-the-art technology to meet India’s demanding air force and naval requirements,” GE says. This includes full authority digital engine control software.