- GS Selwyn on Rolls-Royce’s Commitment to India’s Defence and Energy Future
Bangalore. 11 February 2025. “With a focus on enhancing service, solutions and capability creation as well as our direct route-to-market strategy, we have been able to build strong relationships with key Indian customers, while achieving sustainable and profitable growth in the country,” stated GS Selwyn, Managing Director, MTU India in an exclusive interview with Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU) at Aero India 2025.
ADU. Can you give us an overview of Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems business and its presence in India?
GS Selwyn. Rolls-Royce’s presence in India spans over nine decades and we have a robust ecosystem of strategic partnerships, strong supply chain, rich talent pool, digital solutions and service delivery capabilities in the country. We have a longstanding association with the Indian Armed Forces with over 1400 engines powering Indian Military aircraft, the Indian Army’s Arjun Main Battle Tank and numerous vessels of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Over the years, we have also established strong engineering capabilities that support the global research and development ecosystem for Rolls-Royce. Our Engineering and Research Centre in Pune has grown to become the second largest research and development facility outside our headquarters in Germany, contributing to global development programmes, including sustainable solutions, global product responsibility, efficiency improvements, and more.
Our presence in India includes a joint venture with Force Motors, called Force MTU Power Systems with a portfolio of mtu brand of power generation and power propulsion solutions. This venture has successfully moved and localized the complete production of the mtu Series 1600 engines and generator sets from Germany to the Export-Oriented Unit in Chakan near Pune. This facility is now catering to the needs of both Indian and global markets, with a significant share of products being exported to various countries.
ADU. How is Rolls-Royce contributing to India’s ‘Make in India’ and localisation efforts through its Power Systems business?
GS Selwyn. Rolls-Royce has had a longstanding presence in India, supporting the country’s aerospace, defence and power systems sectors with advanced technology solutions. As a strong proponent of Make in India, we are working closely with local manufacturing and supply chain partners to develop capabilities that conform to the highest global standards of quality.
We have a well-established ecosystem of people, products, capabilities, and partnerships in India. The company has two strong joint ventures with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Force Motors, as well as long-standing relationships with Tata, Bharat Forge, Godrej & Boyce, Azad Engineering, Aaran1, and others.
Rolls-Royce has also announced that it intends to double its supply chain souring from India by 2030. The focus is now on strengthening relationships with both existing and potential future Indian suppliers, to help develop capabilities to manufacture complex engine components locally for global markets.
We have been collaborating with the defence PSU, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), since 1986 for the assembly and testing of our mtu engines. We are honoured to expand this partnership with GRSE for the licensed production and localisation of the Series 4000 governmental marine engines, and we are also strengthening our after-market services in India for these engines.
ADU. What are you offering for future power systems programmes for India Navy?
GS Selwyn. With over 80 years of experience in Indian naval defence, Rolls-Royce is a leading provider of power and propulsion solutions for major global programmes. Our extensive portfolio includes advanced technology for naval fleets of today and tomorrow. As India builds the fleet of the future, Rolls-Royce is well-positioned with the right products, experience, and capabilities to support the modernisation goals of the Indian Navy.
Today, over 500 mtu engines power several vessels of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard. Our technologically superior offerings include the MT30, the most power dense gas turbine powering naval fleets, suitable for next generation warships. It powers the full spectrum of propulsors such as fixed and controllable pitch propellers and waterjets. With its unmatched power density and reliability, the mighty MT30 gas turbine could be a significant game-changer in India’s drive toward modernization.
We recently signed an MoU with Triveni Engineering to explore opportunities to collaborate on programmes for 4MW marine gas turbine generators (GTG) for customers in India, including design, development and manufacturing of the marine GTGs, as well as comprehensive sales and support activities.
Rolls-Royce has deep experience of supporting the world’s first hybrid-electric naval programme as well as supporting the electrification of warships over many years. We believe we have the capabilities to partner with the Indian Navy for design and deployment of India’s first electric warship.
With our existing and growing partnerships with the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, we are optimistically looking at future opportunities in naval defence, particularly for warships, frigates, and submarines.
ADU. What opportunities do you see for growth in the Powergen sector in India?
GS Selwyn. India’s energy demand is rising, particularly in the data centre and infrastructure sectors. We anticipate great potential of growth in the Indian market for data centres, gas systems and kinetic power packs.
At Rolls-Royce, we have made significant progress across our Powergen vertical, and are working with Indian customers in the data centre space, providing high-performance mtu generator sets to ensure reliable backup power. We will continue to explore opportunities in this sector and we believe this is an area of immense growth potential.
As told to Sangeeta Saxena
