Seeking a major boost for defence manufacturing, Rolls Royce aims to produce advanced tank engines for India’s current and future armoured fleets.
Rolls Royce is awaiting final approval from India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to begin manufacturing engines for the Arjun Main Battle Tank and a new generation of land combat platforms, marking a major shift toward domestic production of core propulsion systems.
The company has partnered with two defence public sector undertakings (PSUs) to localise the MB838 engine for the Arjun fleet and develop its Series 199 family for the light tank, future infantry combat vehicle (FICV), future ready combat vehicle (FRCV) and heavy motor vehicles (HMVs).
The move supports India’s aatmanirbharta drive and aims to replace the long-standing source-and-sell model with deep in-country manufacturing. Rolls Royce executives told businessline that the company is preparing for full transfer of technology for the Arjun engine, including intellectual property rights, enabling complete local assembly and reducing dependence on global suppliers.
Alongside land systems, Rolls Royce is also advancing plans to localise its high end Series 4000 naval engines with an Indian industrial partner already identified.
The S199 engine family, used globally in platforms such as the UK Boxer and US Army M10 Booker, will initially see 27 to 30 percent localisation in India. The company is in discussions with private sector firms including L&T, Tata and Mahindra for integration on upcoming platforms, though final selections will follow MoD procurement rules.
Rolls Royce officials emphasised readiness to start production once clearances are granted, highlighting its long standing role in India’s defence ecosystem, where more than 1,400 of its engines power aircraft, tanks and naval vessels.
