Today: 6 May 2025
15 February 2023
3 mins read

UK govt will give India Rolls-Royce jet tech

Chalk said, it means ensuring that the engine which is co-created, built to its specifications, if India were to export it to someone else or use it in a specific way, it is entirely up to India…reports Asian Lite News

Terming the need for strong relations between India and the UK “mission critical”, Minister for Defence Procurement Alex Chalk pitched for collaboration in high-end defence technologies, including jet engine technology, which, he said, were essential to preserve territorial integrity and to stand up for the international rules-based order of which India was an important part of. He also pitched for cooperation in supply chain resilience, which had been brought to the fore in the war in Ukraine, and India’s strengths in it.

The jet engine cooperation proposal put forward by Rolls Royce was the best “out there” and “most cost-effective” that “would set India apart,” Chalk told a small group of journalists at Aero India in Bengaluru. “The context is the security context out you find yourselves in. You have the presence in a difficult backyard of China which we understand. So we recognise that a strong, independent, sovereign and capable India is essential to preserve its territorial integrity and to stand up for the international rules-based order. India is an important part of this international rules-based order. But to uphold that order you need strong defence capabilities that is the context for this very significant step we are taking here in India.”

On jet engine cooperation, for which India is evaluating co-development proposals from three global engine manufacturers, the visiting Minister said, “What the U.K. committed is our biggest ever capability transfer in our history. We would be providing more capability than to any other ally, — a G7 country, G20 country or 5-eyes country.”

Elaborating, Chalk said, it means ensuring that the engine which is co-created, built to its specifications, if India were to export it to someone else or use it in a specific way, it is entirely up to India. “There are currently five nations on the planet that have this technology and India would be the sixth one and it will be sovereign Make in India. And this is the best technology out there,” he stressed.

In addition to the conversation on jet engine, there are lot of other capability cooperation that is under discussion, he said, which includes missiles, infantry tactics, interoperability and maritime cooperation. “If the Rolls Royce deal goes ahead, sky is the limit in terms of future jet engine technology… We see this as a pivotal moment in India-U.K. relations, we have gone further and faster than ever before and see this as the beginning of a really special defence relationship.”

On further agencies of cooperation, Mr. Chalk said Ukraine war had taught that they need to have a hard look at the size of reserves and supply chain resilience. This, he said, presented an opportunity for India and the U.K. to cooperate with India’s capacities and have example their need for deeper ammunition stores in future than they have now.

Next month, the Indian Air Force will join multilateral exercise Cobra Warrior hosted by the Royal Air Force. This will be the first time that the IAF would be participating in the multilateral air combat exercise, which will see participation of air forces from 17 nations, the Minister added.

ALSO READ-Rolls Royce all-electric ‘Spirit of Innovation’ aircraft breaks records

Previous Story

UN appeals for $397 mn to help Syrian quake survivors

Next Story

India sends more relief material to quake-hit Syria

Latest from -Top News

UAE Reopens Doors to Lebanon

The prime minister expressed Lebanon’s “utmost gratitude and appreciation to the UAE” and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan….reports Asian Lite News Lebanon welcomed the decision by the United Arab Emirates

SYRIA RAIDS: Arab League Slams Israel

The Arab League condemned the airstrikes and called on the international community and the United Nations to confront what it described as “repeated violations committed by Israel against the Syrian state.” The

India Rises, Africa Watches 

While struggling economies in Africa engulf themselves in ideological battles and take sides in the tariff battles, nations like India are placing their national interest first and navigating Global Trade challenges in

WAVES 2025: Jaishankar Advocates Cultural Pluralism

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar delivered a powerful address at the WAVES 2025 Global Media Dialogue, highlighting the significance of cultural pluralism in shaping global change. Speaking on the second day of
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Trade cautiously!

The week ahead has a trading holiday on Thursday, and

Small and Mid-Caps Surge, Large-Caps Lag

During the last five years, mid-caps have outperformed largecaps by