New Delhi: Leading British firm Rolls-Royce has evinced interest in working with India to co-develop and manufacture engines for the country’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft program, AMCA (Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft).
Meanwhile, a team from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) met with the UK-based Rolls Royce to discuss the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) Engine. “An instructive and impressive day visit to Rolls Royce facilities near; give possibilities to build on existing and historical partnerships in cutting- edge areas of technology,” tweeted Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom.
In an interview earlier this year, Kishore Jayaraman, president of Rolls-Royce India and South Asia, also said the country will own the Intellectual Property (IP) rights for the engines if there is a partnership.
“Rolls-Royce believes we can be an able partner to build an engine in India for AMCA. That is the area of the future. To co-create, co-develop and co-manufacture. It goes in line with the indigenous design and manufacturing initiative that India wants and the Atmanirbhar way,” said Jayaraman. He noted that joint efforts to manufacture the next set of engines for India’s future aircraft will help develop an aerospace ecosystem in the country.
“(Our) keenness is on the co-creation concept. Because at the end of the day, when we co-create, we are generating IP and the IP is generated locally. When a product is designed in India, manufactured in India, you create your supply chain and you create services concept. It creates a whole new ecosystem in the Indian aerospace sector,” he said.
Jayaraman said Rolls-Royce believes it can create and manufacture the right engine along with the relevant agencies in India. The company currently powers the Indian Air Force’s Jaguar deep penetration aircraft, Hawk trainers and the C-130 J Super Hercules.
According to sources in the defence establishment, the primary competition is between Safran and Rolls-Royce. And India will look at the key area of cost along with finer details of each company’s offering in terms of transfer of technology, to make a decision.
Transfer of technology for the aircraft engine was part of the offset commitment in the Rafale contract as well. The proposal dealt with technology transfer for the development of an indigenous engine for the TEJAS, but it has not been fulfilled by Safran yet. The delay was slammed by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) last year.
However, Jayaraman said Rolls-Royce had a “lot of talks” with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and other agencies, and “there have been very promising and fruitful conversations”.
