Our Bureau
New Delhi
British aerospace giant Rolls-Royce plans a significant investment in India, positioning the country as its third “home market” after the UK, US, and Germany, with focus on jet engines for combat aircraft and naval propulsion systems. Executive Vice President Sashi Mukundan announced ambitions to co-develop next-generation aero engines for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, including technology transfer and joint intellectual property ownership. The move aligns with India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing amid rapid ecosystem growth.
Mukundan highlighted Rolls-Royce’s strategy to expand across defence, naval propulsion, land systems, and advanced engineering. The company prioritizes developing AMCA engines in India, potentially adapting their aero cores into marine turbines for electric and hybrid naval propulsion—capabilities few global players possess. This “marinization” process could bolster the Indian Navy’s combat prowess without building separate supply chains, given lower naval volumes.
Rolls-Royce also eyes partnerships for manufacturing engines for Arjun tanks and future combat vehicles via Memoranda of Understanding with Indian defence public sector units. Mukundan emphasized the investment’s scale: “big enough that people will notice,” fostering an entire value chain ecosystem. CEO Tufan Erginbilgic had earlier told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India is pivotal to the firm’s future growth.
