Author(s): Geo Oomman, L. Anantha Raman, Aditya Sunil

Abstract: The GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri is an afterburning gas turbine engine that was developed by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) division of the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO). In 1989, the DRDO started developing the GTX-35VS Kaveri engine as an indigenous power plant to replace the General Electric F404 engines that were initially set to power the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), the Tejas, designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Kaveri Engine has a higher thrust, both dry and wet thrust, than the SNECMA M88. However, due to the Kaveri engine not being able to satisfy the performance requirements for the LCA, and several delays and cost overruns, the GTX-35VS was decoupled from the Tejas programme in late 2008.

A case study of the GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri engine is being done to look at the engine that was developed over the 25-year programme, and the shortfalls of the engine design are being analyzed using information, and documents that have been declassified. The Kaveri project has now been disbanded and has been used as the foundation point for the successors being called the K9+ and the K10, being developed for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and the final version of the Kaveri engine respectively.