Rolls-Royce plans big investments in India

New Delhi: British aero-engine maker Rolls-Royce on Sunday said it is looking at making India its third "home market" outside of the UK in line with a plan to unlock the full potential of opportunities across an array of domains, including jet engines, naval propulsion, land systems and advanced engineering.

In an interview, Sashi Mukundan, the executive vice president of Rolls-Royce India, elaborating on the move, said the company is planning for a "big investment" in the country, and listed developing a next-generation aero engine in India as a priority to power the combat jets that New Delhi will produce under the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme. Mukundan also highlighted how Rolls-Royce can contribute significantly to addressing India's requirement for electric propulsion capability for boosting the Indian Navy's combat prowess.

The AMCA engine core can be modified into a naval marine engine and it can also be used for electric propulsion, he suggested, noting that Rolls-Royce is among a very few engine makers globally to have the capability to "marinize the aero engine".

Mukundan, without divulging specific details, said Rolls-Royce was eyeing making a significant investment to expand its footprint in India, noting that the country has "scale, policy clarity and a strong push" towards a defence and industrial ecosystem that is expanding rapidly and becoming more sophisticated.