Indian firm to make fighter jet engines with Rolls-Royce

Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector company, and Britain's Rolls-Royce have announced plans to jointly design and manufacture engines for India's indigenous multirole fighter jet program. The announcement was made on Friday, marking a significant step towards boosting domestic production in India's defense sector.

Reliance Industries, which has been expanding into defense production to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' initiative, aims to contribute to the development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. Rolls-Royce, renowned for building engines for commercial aircraft and fighter jets, will collaborate with Reliance on design, development, manufacturing, and delivery of the sovereign indigenous combat engine.

The joint statement, which did not specify the investment scale, emphasized their strategic intent to foster a robust, self-reliant aerospace ecosystem in India. Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic highlighted the partnership's potential to establish enduring national capabilities in advanced propulsion technologies. The AMCA, a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter jet developed locally for India's air force, symbolizes India's commitment to modernizing its defence forces.

In the past decade, India has prioritized the modernization of its military, driven by a self-reliant and future-ready defence sector. Prime Minister Modi's administration has been reducing India's dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, by seeking partnerships with other countries and bolstering domestic production.

Recently, India approved a $5.46 billion purchase of military equipment, including missiles, electronic warfare systems, and kamikaze drones, further demonstrating its commitment to enhancing defence capabilities.