By Steven Gillard.
New Delhi. 03 December, 2015. Rolls-Royce has been associated with India for the past eight decades and is contributing significantly towards the modernisation of the armed forces. The Indian Navy and Rolls-Royce have been partners since the inception of India’s Naval services and a great example is 300 INAS, where we have worked alongside the squadron for over 50 years, and this partnership continues today.
In the short term, our priority is to support today’s fleets – in particular the Sea Harrier as it plays a vital role in India’s maritime security. In the medium term we will continue to support the operation of the Sea King, a critical military asset, which has years of operation remaining. We will also help the Indian Navy maximise its use of the Rolls-Royce powered Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, which is an expanding fleet, crucial to the Navy’s combat aircraft capability.
Looking to the longer term, there are a number of Rolls-Royce powered aircraft that we believe could be of interest to the Indian Navy. The most obvious of these is the US-2I amphibious aircraft which largely shares common engines with the Indian Air Force’s C-130J fleet. The products being offered to Indian Navy include engines, ship design, gas turbines, propulsors, electrical power systems, underway replenishment, propellers and water jets, cranes and handling systems, etc. Rolls-Royce remains committed in contributing to India’s infrastructure and modernisation needs and will continue supporting the Indian Navy for further growth.
The Author is Vice President, Customer Business – Defence, Rolls-Royce.