Indian firm to make fighter jet engines with Rolls-Royce

India's Reliance Industries and Britain's Rolls-Royce announced on Friday plans to jointly design and manufacture engines for India's multirole indigenous fighter jet program.

Reliance, India's largest private sector company, has been expanding into defense production to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative.

What did Reliance and Rolls-Royce announce about fighter jet engines?

Reliance Industries and Rolls-Royce issued a joint statement announcing their strategic intent to partner on the design, development, manufacturing and delivery of a sovereign indigenous combat engine. The engine is intended for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, or AMCA, program. The AMCA is India's flagship fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter jet, developed locally for its air force.

The statement did not reveal the scale of investment either company will make for the partnership. Rolls-Royce builds engines for commercial use by the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, as well as for fighter jets.

Why is this partnership significant for India's defense sector?

The partnership marks a major milestone toward building a robust, self-reliant aerospace ecosystem in the country, Rolls-Royce chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic said in the statement. Reliance Executive Director Anant Ambani said the goal was to build an enduring national capability that could make India self-reliant and, over time, globally competitive in advanced propulsion technologies.

New Delhi, one of the world's largest arms importers, has made modernization of its defense forces a top priority, with repeated pushes to boost domestic production. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told soldiers on Friday, on the eve of the country's 80th independence day, that India's military modernization is driven by a self-reliant and future-ready defense sector.

What other defense deals has India made recently?

Last month, India approved the purchase of a range of military equipment worth $5.46 billion, including missiles, electronic warfare systems and suicide drones. Earlier this year, the government approved the purchase of $39 billion worth of defense equipment, including Rafale jets from France. India's current defense budget stands at $85 billion.

New Delhi has spent the past decade seeking to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning instead to countries like the United States and France while boosting domestic production. A four day conflict with nuclear armed rival Pakistan last year highlighted the need for Delhi to upgrade its defense capabilities. India is also rapidly modernizing its navy through domestic production of ships and submarines.