London/Mumbai: Reliance Industries Limited (Reliance) and Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY) have announced their strategic intent to partner on the design, development, manufacturing and delivery of a sovereign indigenous combat engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
As part of the proposed partnership, Reliance and Rolls-Royce will explore the formation of a dedicated Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex, which is planned to serve as a centre of excellence for power and propulsion technology in India.
The partnership will bring together Rolls-Royce’s engine expertise and Reliance’s technology, manufacturing, scale and execution capabilities to explore the joint development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft engine in India.
The companies said the initiative marks a step towards realising the vision set out by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, for the country’s defence ecosystem to deliver an indigenous engine to power its fighter jet programme.
Reliance and Rolls-Royce to Build Indigenous Aero-Engine Ecosystem
Commenting on the proposed partnership, Anant Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Industries Limited, said: “India’s strategic autonomy requires sovereign capability in critical technologies.
Our intent with Rolls-Royce is to combine their world-leading expertise in advanced propulsion with Reliance’s technology, manufacturing, scale and execution capabilities to build an indigenous aero-engine ecosystem in India.
Together, we aim to build an enduring national capability that can make India self-reliant and, over time, globally competitive in advanced propulsion technologies. This is our contribution to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Viksit Bharat.”
The proposed collaboration is aimed at establishing capabilities in India for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme by combining global engine expertise with domestic industrial capabilities.
The Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex is expected to bring together capabilities covering the complete engine lifecycle. This includes design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support.
Rolls-Royce Highlights India Partnership
Tufan Erginbilgiç, CEO, Rolls-Royce plc, said: “I welcome the opportunity to join forces with Reliance Industries, bringing together our century-long heritage in advanced engineering and proven engine expertise with their homegrown leadership in Indian industry.
Together, with our existing partnerships and capabilities in India, this marks a major milestone towards building a robust, self-reliant aerospace ecosystem in the country.”
The proposed Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex would support the development of sovereign, end-to-end Indian capabilities for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft engine, covering design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support.
According to the companies, the proposed collaboration could also unlock opportunities to explore wider partnerships across defence, civil aerospace, and new power and propulsion systems.
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Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft Programme and Atmanirbhar Bharat
The Reliance-Rolls-Royce partnership is intended to support India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme through the development of indigenous capabilities in advanced propulsion technology.
By combining Rolls-Royce’s global leadership in engines with Reliance’s established industrial strengths, the companies intend to build an indigenous aero-engine ecosystem in India.
The proposed partnership will focus on creating sovereign capabilities across the engine development and manufacturing value chain, including design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support.
The alliance is also positioned as supporting India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ vision for technology indigenisation and the country’s ambition to build capabilities in advanced propulsion technologies.
The partnership between Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce will therefore explore the creation of an Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex in India as part of efforts to develop capabilities for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme.
The companies said the initiative could help position India as a global leader in advanced propulsion capabilities while strengthening the country’s indigenous aerospace ecosystem.
