Reliance, Rolls-Royce to build indigenous combat engine for Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft
Mumbai, August 14
Reliance Industries Limited and Rolls-Royce 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 programme.
As part of the proposed partnership, the two companies will explore setting up a dedicated Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex in India.
The facility is envisaged as a centre of excellence for power and propulsion technology and will bring together Rolls-Royce's expertise in advanced engines and Reliance's industrial and manufacturing capabilities.
In an official statement, Reliance stated that "The partnership will offer a compelling proposition for joint development of the AMCA engine in India, bringing together world-leading technology and industrial execution capabilities".
The proposed collaboration is aimed at building an indigenous capability for the development and production of advanced propulsion systems in India. It also aligns with the vision of developing greater self-reliance in critical defence technologies.
The company also shared that this marks a step towards realising the vision set out by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, for India's defence ecosystem to deliver an indigenous engine to power the country's fighter jet programme.
Anant Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Industries Limited, said India's strategic autonomy requires sovereign capabilities in critical technologies.
"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," Ambani said.
He said the companies aim to build an enduring national capability that can make India self-reliant and, over time, globally competitive in advanced propulsion technologies.
"Together, we aim to build an enduring national capability that can make India self-reliant and, over time, globally competitive in advanced propulsion technologies," Ambani said.
The partnership is being positioned as a step towards developing an indigenous engine capability for India's fighter jet programme and supporting the country's wider defence technology indigenisation efforts.
Tufan Erginbilgic, CEO, Rolls-Royce plc, said the proposed partnership would combine the company's experience in advanced engineering and engine technology with Reliance's industrial capabilities in India.
"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," Erginbilgic said.
He added that the proposed collaboration would be a major milestone towards building a self-reliant aerospace ecosystem in India.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex would aim to build an end-to-end Indian capability covering design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support.
The partnership could also create opportunities for wider cooperation between Reliance and Rolls-Royce across defence, civil aerospace, and new power and propulsion systems, according to the companies.
The proposed collaboration comes as India seeks to strengthen domestic capabilities in strategically important technologies and reduce dependence on external sources for critical defence systems.
— ANI
Reader Comments
This is a great move for Atmanirbhar Bharat. But I hope the technology transfer is genuine and we don't just become an assembly line for Rolls-Royce. We need real intellectual property and design capability, not just manufacturing. The government should ensure we own the core technology.
Impressive partnership. Rolls-Royce brings century-old expertise while Reliance has the industrial muscle. This could really accelerate India's fighter jet programme. The key will be execution - let's hope milestones are met on time and within budget.
Around 80% of our defence equipment is still imported. This engine development is crucial for true strategic autonomy. The government's push for indigenisation is working. Next step should be involving DRDO and GTRE more closely so our scientists get hands-on experience with cutting-edge tech.
A positive step but I'm cautiously optimistic. We've heard such announcements before - remember the Kaveri engine project? It struggled for decades. Hope this time with private sector participation, we see actual results on the ground. Anant Ambani's commitment seems genuine though.
Rolls-Royce and Reliance - a powerful combo for sure! ⚡ This will create thousands of skilled jobs in aerospace engineering too. The future of Indian defence looks bright with AMCA leading the way. Jai Hind!
J We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.