Rolls-Royce Eyes India Partnerships in Defense, Aerospace, More
This week, Rolls-Royce held its Board meeting in India for the first time, emphasizing the strategic significance of the Indian market to the firm.
Over the three-day visit, Tufan Erginbilgiç, the CEO of Rolls-Royce, engaged with the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, to explore the company's long-term goals for India and ways to assist the nation in fulfilling its priorities as a strategic ally in defense, aerospace, and energy.
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Dame Anita Frew, Chair, along with the Board of Directors, engaged with Rolls-Royce’s leadership team in India and government representatives during their visit.
They also toured Rolls-Royce’s Global Capability and Innovation Center in Bengaluru, where teams from Engineering, Defence, Global Business Services, and Digital and IT showcased the extensive capabilities being provided from the region.
The decision to travel to India signifies its increasing significance to Rolls-Royce and its dedication to fostering stronger partnerships and enhanced capabilities within the nation. The company’s aspirations for future growth in India rely on its long-standing presence, established industrial collaborations, increasing engineering influence, and a broadening manufacturing and supply chain network.
“India is very important to Rolls-Royce and our long-term growth ambitions. We want to deepen our role as a strategic partner supporting energy security, infrastructure growth, national security and connectivity, contributing to economic growth for India”.
“From developing sovereign aero-engine capability, to exploring new opportunities across power and propulsion, our focus is on building partnerships and capabilities that can create lasting value for India and Rolls-Royce”.
In August 2026, Rolls-Royce and Reliance Industries declared their strategic plan to collaborate and provide expertise in the design, development, production, and delivery of a domestically developed combat engine for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) initiative.
The collaboration would involve creating a specialized Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex (AGTC) in India, with the AMCA engine project as its cornerstone. The AGTC is designed as a comprehensive sovereign aero-engine ecosystem encompassing design, development, manufacturing, testing, production, and ongoing support.
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It may establish a long-term national capacity that supports upcoming military, naval, and civil aerospace uses.
Apart from combat aerospace, Rolls-Royce maintains a strong presence in India through its Civil Aviation, Defense, and Power Systems sectors. The company is seeking chances to enhance its involvement in supporting India’s Viksit Bharat goals for self-sufficiency in defense and energy, while also fostering the strong development of the nation's civil aviation sector, infrastructure, and industry.
Furthermore, Rolls-Royce became a formidable competitor after the British aero-engine manufacturer and Reliance Industries, one of India’s largest conglomerates, declared their “strategic intent” this month to collaboratively create and produce a domestic engine for the stealth fighter initiative. The companies stated they will explore establishing a specialized aerospace gas turbine facility in India.
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The Cabinet Committee on Security, India’s highest government authority for significant defense approvals, is currently assessing the company's proposal. New Delhi aims to eliminate its enduring reliance on imported engines, a major hurdle in its fighter aircraft initiatives. After years of attempts, India has yet to create an engine suitable for a frontline fighter. Consequently, all these fighters manufactured in India depend on engines of foreign origin.