Co-creating the future of combat

Today, we at Rolls-Royce are proud that IAF is the fourth largest in the world in terms of assets and people. To build on this success, India needs to invest in programmes that help co-develop products and co-create solutions customised to the security needs of this country. This will enable the country to own Intellectual Property (IP) for these solutions, because we believe the future is about India owning the IP.

At Rolls-Royce, this is the space that we want to build on and we are working closely with the Ministry of Defence, DRDO, HAL and others on how to co-create products and solutions for the Indian market because we believe that joint IPs between countries will lead the way in the future.

Global and regional geo-strategies are undergoing fundamental changes. India will have to enhance its air power manifold in the coming years to meet its changing defence needs. In particular, speed and technology will become defining factors in future warfare.

The government can invest in programmes where companies can participate and work together to co-create products and solutions. For example, in defence, when there is co-creation of an aircraft technology, then it could be a joint IP between governments. Whether it is then manufactured here in India or elsewhere, India could be a co-owner of that IP and that is what makes this a powerful proposition for the future of combat.

Further, as India seeks to make manufacturing a core part of the economy, there is also an opportunity for the country to be the supply chain capital for the world. Singapore and other countries have been investing in programs that create IP, and this in turn creates manufacturing and export opportunities, which create jobs in the market. There is a cost-arbitrage equation and a value equation that is pertinent to India, but to leverage it, the country will need to attract investment by investing in such programs.

Looking at the future, we remain committed to developing the Indian aerospace industry and furthering Indian self-reliance. An excellent example of this is the Adour Mk804/Mk811 (which powers the Jaguar) which was made here and continues to be supported by HAL in India, in partnership with Rolls-Royce.

With a growing engineering footprint in India, we are working towards establishing a robust ecosystem that will engage in co-creation across the entire value-chain – from research, design and development to manufacturing, integration, maintenance and repair. This will further enable the vision of Make in India, make for India and for the world. India is among the top 5 countries spending on defence, with the FY 2018-19 budget allocation for defence being pegged at around US$ 45.61 billion (excluding defence pension).

Our Defence Service Delivery Centre (SDC) in Bengaluru, the only one in Asia, specifically supports the Indian Armed Forces and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and aims to further improve our responsiveness, while enabling the customer to continually improve engine availability. The SDC will be able to respond to many queries in-country with its team of qualified Indian engineers which is another source of pride.

We will continue to support today’s fleets, including those that have been in service for many years. With this, India not only benefits from global best practices but also gets the best of research and development expertise. In tandem with the country’s priority of indigenisation, we further support the IAF with technology transfer and training programmes. At the heart of all we do is the mission to help power the people that protect our skies.

At this time, as we nurture our 85 years’ relationship with India, we re-commit ourselves to build on our shared legacy and to co-create the future of Indian combat, in line with the country’s growth vision of indigenisation and self-reliance.