India's Reliance to partner with Rolls-Royce on combat engine for fighter jets

Reliance Industries said on Friday it planned to partner with Britain's Rolls-Royce 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.

Last year, India approved a framework to build its most advanced stealth fighter jet and ⁠invited interest from defence firms, weeks after a military conflict with ​nuclear-armed neighbour Pakistan.

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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, ⁠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.

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Hindustan Aeronautics manufactures the 4.5-generation Tejas ​fighter jet, ⁠but has faced slow engine deliveries from General Electric due to supply chain issues faced by the US firm.

Rolls-Royce, which has previously worked with India on military ⁠propulsion ​programmes, supplies engines for a range of ​defence and civil aerospace applications.