India’s Kaveri Engine program has received a significant boost as PTC Industries Limited has been awarded a Letter of Technical Acceptance (LoTA) from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), for the indigenous development and manufacturing of Titanium castings specifically for the Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE-2). This includes the production of Oil Tank Assembly Titanium Castings, developed in partnership with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE).
PTC Industries’ achievement marks a strategic advancement in India’s capability to produce high-precision aerospace-grade titanium components critical for advanced jet engines. The Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE-2) is being developed for advanced unmanned and manned aircraft platforms, aiming for better thrust, endurance, and thermal management.
Alongside, PTC Industries has also received purchase orders for manufacturing high-value single crystal turbine blades for the KDE-2, a complex component vital to jet engine performance. These developments are centered at PTC’s Strategic Materials Technology Complex in Lucknow, a state-of-the-art facility spread over 50 acres with an investment of ₹1,000 crore and a production capacity of over 6,000 tonnes annually to produce aviation-grade titanium and superalloys. The complex supports India’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat by reducing dependence on imports of critical aerospace materials.
Further collaboration between PTC and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) aims to advance indigenous propulsion and guided weapons systems manufacturing. The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has emphasized this facility as pivotal to India’s technological sovereignty in defense manufacturing, a major leap toward manufacturing key materials for fighter jets, missiles, naval systems, and satellites.
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