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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has confirmed that India is on track to manufacture fighter jet engines domestically within a year. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said discussions with global aerospace companies, including GE and Safran, are progressing well and that the final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). “Within a year, we will reach a position where we will build the engines for these fighter planes in India, on Indian soil, by Indian hands,” he said, stressing that technology transfer would be a key part of any agreement. #Exclusive | “Rafale performed brilliantly during Operation Sindoor,” Defence Minister @RajnathSingh_in speaks exclusively to CNN-News18’s @18RahulJoshi@kaidensharmaa gets you more details#Rafale #RajnathSingh #DefenceMinister #OperationSindoor | @akankshaswarups pic.twitter.com/6j2aLyD8FX — News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 Indigenisation And Technology Transfer Singh reiterated that while India currently sources some engines and components from abroad, the long-term goal is complete indigenisation. He said India would not compromise on its terms when entering defence deals with foreign companies, asserting, “ We may buy engines from abroad, but manufacturing must happen in India.” The minister noted that collaboration with international partners would continue, but always with an emphasis on local production and knowledge sharing. Progress On Indigenous Projects On the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project, Singh said that design work has been completed and progress remains “good and satisfactory.” He added that while the entire process may take time, it is unlikely to stretch to ten years. Singh also praised the Rafale jets for their performance during Operation Sindoor, calling them “excellent fighter aircraft,” and said discussions to acquire 114 more jets under the MRFA project were progressing steadily. Also Read: ‘India Knows Such Allegations Don’t Stick To PM Modi’: Rajnath Singh On Rahul Gandhi’s Repeated Attacks Boost to Defence Exports And Self-Reliance Highlighting India’s growing defence export capabilities, Singh said the country’s exports have already reached ₹25,000 crore and are expected to double by 2030. India has identified over 550 items that will no longer be imported and replaced them with locally manufactured components. “Our advances in self-reliance are very encouraging,” Singh said, expressing confidence that India would soon become entirely self-sufficient in defence production.
