June 12, 2023: The United States has granted General Electric permission to manufacture its F414 jet engine in India. GE will transfer technology to an Indian firm to set up a new manufacturing plant there. The engines will be used in the new Tejas Mark 2 Medium Weight Fighter. India tried to develop and manufacture an Indian engine but failed. This led to the deal with GE to build the F414 locally. Imported F414s cost ab0ut $4.8 million each, not including spare parts. The locally manufactured F414 will be cheaper and India plans to use them in future Indian developed fighters. Currently the F414 is used in the F-18E/F/G and the Swedish Gripen. The 11-ton Tejas is a delta-wing light fighter armed with a 30mm autocannon and up to six tons of bombs and missiles. This is a change for India, which has long used Russian MiG-21s and MiG-29s as well as French and British jets. The Russian jets are being phased out. The Tejas will replace older MiGs.