Reliance Industries (RELI.NS) said on Friday it planned to partner with Britain's Rolls-Royce (RR.L) to develop and manufacture an engine for India's fighter jet programme, as the country aims to build its most advanced stealth combat aircraft.
A prototype of the jet, known as the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, is expected to roll out in 2028 and play a key role in India's future air combat strategy.
In a move to reduce its dependence on imported defence equipment, the country also opened the door for domestic companies to participate in developing the twin-engine stealth fighter, approving the execution model for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
Under the proposed partnership announced on Friday, Reliance and Rolls-Royce will explore forming a dedicated aerospace gas turbine complex in India to jointly develop the engine.
"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," Reliance Executive Director Anant Ambani said in a statement.
The announcement potentially positions the British aero-engine maker against France's Safran (SAF.PA), which has separately proposed a joint venture with India's state-run GTRE to develop a higher-thrust engine for later versions of the AMCA fighter.
Hindustan Aeronautics (HIAE.NS) manufactures the 4.5-generation Tejas fighter jet, but has faced slow engine deliveries from General Electric (GE.N) due to supply chain issues faced by the U.S. firm.
Rolls-Royce, which has previously worked with India on military propulsion programmes, supplies engines for a range of defence and civil aerospace applications.
($1 = 95.4250 Indian rupees)
