Rolls-Royce still vying to codevelop India's stealth jet engine: Alex Zino

Rolls-Royce says India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will positively impact both its civil aviation and defence businesses in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom (UK) in July saw the signing of the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (Ceta), the adoption of Vision 2035 to steer bilateral strategic relations over the next decade, and the finalisation of a defence industrial road map. Against this backdrop, Alex Zino, executive vice-president (business development & future programmes for UK & international markets), and global head of government relations, Rolls-Royce, spoke to Bhaswar Kumar about how these developments would help the British aerospace and defence company scale up operations in India. Zino also confirmed the company still remains in contention, alongside France’s Safran, to codevelop engines for India’s under-development fifth-generation stealth jet, the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA). Edited excerpts:

 

How are things progressing with your bid to be selected as codeveloper of AMCA’s next-generation engine?

 

For us, this opportunity is a catalyst — for transferring capability, knowledge, and experience, and for enabling strategic autonomy in gas turbines, both in India and globally. What matters is that the process moves forward in a timely but rigorous way, allowing the customer to make the right decision based on their end requirements. Ultimately, it’s their call. There are varying views on what the engine should be — its size, role, and performance — but it’s for the customer to define that. We stand ready to respond when they do. One potential next step would be a request for proposal with clear requirements, allowing us to respond precisely. For now, we’re waiting to understand how the customer intends to take the programme forward. But we are clear: Together with the UK government, we’re offering a solution for India, and in India, where we codesign and codevelop the engine. Our government has been equally clear — this is a joint offer from the industry and government, working in lockstep. It’s being made under the Defence Partnership–India (DP-I) initiative, launched by the UK government at Aero India 2025. We’re working closely with them and will continue to do so. This isn’t just about one programme. It’s about creating a sustainable capability that lasts decades. The aim is to stand up an ecosystem that supports future programmes and evolving requirements for India over time, but a specific programme like AMCA is needed to trigger that transfer. As another sign of our commitment, we’ve signed a partnership and a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Institute of Technology since we spoke at Aero India. The aim is to start developing talent and bringing in capability. We see India as a tremendous source of engineering strength and long-term potential.

 

There was at least one recent media report suggesting you may no longer be in the running for the AMCA engine. Have you received any official communication confirming that?

 

We’re still talking to the customer. We’re still engaged, and we’re still putting an offer on the table through the UK government. We’ll continue doing that until we’re told, “No, thank you, we don’t need a meeting on this.” And looking at where things are headed — whether through the free-trade agreement (Ceta) or the India-UK Vision 2035, both of which emphasise deepening defence cooperation — I’m not aware of anything in that framework that suggests we shouldn’t be discussing AMCA. So we will continue that conversation. I expect timelines will compress, given the evolving threat landscape and the growing urgency around capability. Against this backdrop, we’ve transformed how we develop and deliver through the Orpheus Project in the UK. It’s changed how we execute programmes — faster and on more aggressive timelines than before. That experience is part of the offer. We’re not just bringing technology or design and development capability to India. We’re also offering new ways of doing it — faster and to tighter time scales than historically expected. As you know, we’ve offered India the full engine knowhow and knowwhy capability. Under the UK-led Tempest programme, we’ve also been involved with sixth-generation combat aircraft technologies and new engine architectures since 2018. Combined with our decades-long combat heritage, we’re looking to carry that forward into the AMCA as well. So yes, we remain in dialogue. We’re continuing those conversations in lockstep with the UK government.

 

What does Ceta bring to the table for Rolls-Royce?

 

Ceta’s positive impact will be felt across our whole business because it has a number of elements that support our wider operations. For example, there are provisions related to trade in commercial aerospace and the gradual reduction of tariffs — aligned with the World Trade Organization’s (WTO’s) goal of zero tariffs in aerospace — which will benefit the UK and India, as well as our broader commercial engagements with Air India and IndiGo. So, there are some really positive elements here that contribute to the growth story between the UK and India — and to the growth trajectory of commercial aerospace itself. The signing of the free-trade agreement (FTA) was a defining milestone.

 

Can you elaborate on Ceta’s impact on civil aviation?

 

We have engine orders with Air India and IndiGo to expand their commercial fleets, bringing the exciting opportunity of introducing the Trent XWB engines into India. Against this backdrop, the changes brought in by Ceta to the aerospace tariff regime — which will mature and develop over the next five years — will be very positive. They will support the movement of components and engines between the UK and India and help us build capability. Ultimately, this is about developing aerospace gas turbine capability across all stages of the life cycle in India — and Ceta will support all these efforts. As volumes increase, we’re looking at how to support components with engineers based in India. While we already have some in place, that number will grow. At Aero India 2025 in February, we spoke about plans to at least double our supply chain volume out of India, and that is also in progress. In parallel, we’re evaluating when and how to establish maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capability. On the civil side, that’s something we could look to build over time. We can draw on what we already do in defence, where we support Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in maintaining the fleet we currently power. We’re also exploring MRO options under the Medium Transport Aircraft project for the Indian Air Force, including potential MRO in India for the AE 2100 turboprop engine that powers one of the competing platforms — the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. We’re looking across the full ecosystem.

 

The full ecosystem?

 

Yes. Our goals include scaling up engineering — whether for civil programmes or through co-design and co-development in defence. They also include growing the supply chain. This covers current civil programmes. And should we be selected to codevelop the engine for AMCA, that supply chain would expand in ways that support both civil and defence use. We’re also looking at the aftermarket and support phase. That could involve extending MRO work with HAL to new fleets, depending on procurement outcomes, and eventually into commercial aviation.

 

Is there any update on your supply chain enhancement plan?

 

The process is progressing well. We’re seeing strong opportunities and some genuinely exciting capability in the supply chain. We’re working with potential suppliers to negotiate and finalise contracts over the coming months and years.

 

Can you elaborate on how the defence industrial road map will help Rolls-Royce?

 

Through government-to-government structures, we see a clear intent to collaborate in building resilience in India and reinforcing the Make in India story. Recent events have underlined India’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. And that means intellectual property, capability, and supply chains rooted in India. The road map and the FTA both create frameworks that facilitate such cooperation and collaboration. The outcomes of the recent India-UK engagement mention upgrading the foreign and defence 2+2 senior official-level dialogue, creating a clear avenue — at a more senior level — for the kinds of conversations we’re referring to. That includes those around the UK-Rolls-Royce AMCA offer. The move toward adopting a 10-year defence industrial road map — paired with a joint senior official-level mechanism to oversee its implementation — sets out, for me, clear policy-level hooks, especially when placed alongside the DP-I. I believe we’re now moving beyond rhetoric and beginning to install the mechanisms needed for execution. It adds real substance and puts in place the enablers that underpin what has, until now, been discussed across various conduits and forums. For me, yes — seeing it in writing, and seeing it signed off by both governments — gives shape to the frameworks and enablers we need, and anchors everything we’ve been talking about.