The aero engine, a critical component, needs to be imported or co-developed with a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for which the details are yet to be worked out. The GE-F404 engine that powers the LCA Tejas Mk1 and Mk1A is facing production issues due to global supply chain disruption and the matter has been taken up by the Indian government with the US at the highest level. The agreement for the joint production of the GE-F414 engines with the transfer of technology is yet to be signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and GE Aerospace despite the MoU that was signed between the two during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June 2023. There are only a handful of countries like the United Kingdom, the US, Russia, France, and China that possess the capability to manufacture jet engines. The Kaveri engine programme could not succeed due to a variety of reasons. India, therefore, needs to collaborate with one of these countries by getting into a strategic partnership that would entail transfer of technology and joint production of aero engines.