Rolls-Royce has described India as central to its long-term ambitions and said it wants to deepen its role as a strategic partner supporting the country’s energy security, infrastructure growth, national security and connectivity. The British aero-engine maker said its future expansion would build on decades of operations, industrial partnerships, engineering capabilities and a growing manufacturing and supply-chain ecosystem. The company held a board meeting in India for the first time this week. During a three-day visit, Rolls-Royce chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the company’s long-term plans and opportunities to support India’s priorities across defence, aerospace and energy. Rolls-Royce and Reliance Industries announced in August their strategic intent to collaborate on the design, development, manufacture and delivery of an indigenous combat engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft programme. The proposed partnership includes a dedicated Aerospace Gas Turbine Complex, or AGTC, in India, with the combat-aircraft engine programme as its anchor. The AGTC is intended to cover the full aero-engine ecosystem, including design, development, manufacturing, testing, production and through-life support. The company said the project could help establish a national capability serving future military, naval and civil aerospace applications, while supporting India’s objective of greater self-reliance in defence and energy. Rolls-Royce chair Dame Anita Frew and the board also met the company’s India leadership team and government stakeholders. They visited the company’s Global Capability and Innovation Centre in Bengaluru, where teams working in engineering, defence, global business services, digital operations and information technology presented their capabilities. Rolls-Royce said its presence in India extends beyond combat aerospace to civil aviation, defence and power systems. It is pursuing opportunities linked to the country’s civil aviation growth, infrastructure and industrial development, while seeking deeper partnerships in support of the Viksit Bharat agenda.