Mumbai, India: Reliance Industries Limited and Rolls-Royce have announced their strategic intent to partner on the design, development, manufacturing and delivery of a sovereign indigenous combat engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme.
The partnership aims to combine Rolls-Royce’s advanced propulsion and engine expertise with Reliance Industries’ technology, manufacturing, scale and project execution capabilities to develop an indigenous aero-engine ecosystem in India. The companies announced the strategic intent on August 14, 2026.
As part of the proposed collaboration, Reliance and Rolls-Royce will explore the establishment of a dedicated Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex in India. The facility is envisioned as a centre of excellence for power and propulsion technology and would support the development of advanced aerospace capabilities.
The proposed partnership is intended to create an end-to-end Indian capability covering engine design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support. This could provide a broader domestic ecosystem for advanced propulsion technologies while supporting India’s efforts to strengthen strategic autonomy in defence.
Anant Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries, said the collaboration is aimed at combining Rolls-Royce’s expertise in advanced propulsion with Reliance’s industrial capabilities to build an indigenous aero-engine ecosystem. He also highlighted the partnership’s alignment with the vision of Atmanirbhar Viksit Bharat.
Tufan Erginbilgiç, CEO of Rolls-Royce plc, said the partnership would bring together Rolls-Royce’s engineering and engine expertise with Reliance’s industrial capabilities in India. The companies said the collaboration represents a significant step towards developing a stronger and more self-reliant aerospace ecosystem in the country.
Beyond the AMCA programme, the proposed Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex could create opportunities for wider collaboration in defence, civil aerospace and new power and propulsion systems. The companies said the initiative could contribute to building broader national capabilities in advanced propulsion technology.
The proposed alliance also supports India’s broader Atmanirbhar Bharat objective of increasing domestic technology capabilities and reducing dependence on external sources for strategically important defence technologies.
For Reliance, the partnership represents an expansion of its industrial and technology capabilities into advanced aerospace propulsion. Rolls-Royce, meanwhile, brings its established expertise in aircraft engines and propulsion systems to the proposed Indian ecosystem.
If developed as planned, the collaboration could mark an important step in India’s efforts to establish indigenous capabilities across the aerospace engine value chain and strengthen its position in advanced propulsion technologies.
Source: This article is based on an official press release issued by Reliance Industries Limited
14082026_MR_Reliance_Industries_Rolls-Royce_AMCA.pdf
