Lasting Legacies, Promising Future
As the 88th Indian Air Force Day is celebrated on 8 October 2020, Rolls-Royce salutes its magnificent history and spirit of the ‘ Guardians of Indian Skies’. This day is also a reminder of our legacy partnership with India that spans over eight decades, which started with the IAF’s Westland Wapiti powered by our Bristol Jupiter engines. Since then, Rolls-Royce has been an intrinsic part of the Indian defence tapestry, building on the relationship with strong threads that will hold far into the future.
Partners in Progress
Rolls-Royce’s 60-year-old partnership with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) started with licensed production of the Orpheus engine, and is one of the longest in the history of aerospace in India. With the
Adour Mk871 and Adour Mk804/811, also made in India by HAL with Rolls-Royce support, our journey is the original ‘Make in India’ story.
Rolls- Royce engines power various aircraft of the Indian defence forces including transport, trainer and combat aircraft and helicopters. The Jaguar has flown with the Rolls-Royce Adour Mk811 since 1981, while Adour Mk871-powered Hawk advanced jet trainers have been in service since 2008. Over the years, we have also been working steadily for the development and transformation of India’s indigenous aerospace industry. We have also invested in building supply chain capabilities and forged successful partnerships with private sector players like Bharat Forge, Godrej & Boyce, Force Motors, the Tata Group, as well as various MSMEs and start-ups.
Engineering Excellence
Today, more than 750 Rolls-Royce engines of ten engine types are powering aircraft of the Indian military. Our engines power a wide variety of aircraft in inventory of the Indian Air Force, from combat and strike aircraft (the Jaguar, powered by the Adour Mk811) to trainers (Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer, powered by Adour Mk871) to strategic airlift aircraft (C-130J Hercules, powered by AE2100) as also VVIP and Surveillance aircraft (ERJ145, powered by AE3007).
We provide the highest possible levels of support to defence forces for the engines in service. Our field service representatives work closely with Armed Forces personnel to maximise the availability of engines on wing and provide on- ground technical advice directly to our defence customers,
thereby drastically reducing maintenance and overhaul times.
Our Defence Service Delivery Centre (SDC) in Bengaluru is the only one in Asia specifically supporting the Indian Armed Forces and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Its principal role is to improve our responsiveness to the forces, and to enable further optimisation of engine availability.
Over the years, we have played a vital role in supporting growth of the Indian Defence and Aerospace industry with our portfolio of products and services and the right combination of experience and advanced technologies.
With the help of our engineering talent 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’, to make for India and for the world.
Future ready!
With more than 16,000 military engines in service with 160 customers in 103 countries, Rolls-Royce is globally a powerful player in the defence aero engine market. From combat to transport, from trainers to helicopters, our engines and pioneering service solutions ensure that our customers have world- leading engine technology available, whatever the mission demands.
We believe the future will be all about ‘Creating in India’ in collaboration with willing global players, with India co-owning the Intellectual Property (IP) in areas of strategic importance. As the world prepares to rise beyond impact of the Covid- 19 pandemic, the manufacturing sector in India also has an opportunity to become a strong lever for economic growth and self-reliance.
Looking at the future, we are happy that both the UK and India are willing to explore opportunities to collaborate with significant technological and talent capabilities on both sides. There is a great opportunity to co-create and co-manufacture customised solutions for India’s future defence needs and support India’s vision for self-reliance. India has the talent, potential, ingenuity and digital ecosystem to recast the framework of defence manufacturing and build an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
President, Rolls-Royce India and South Asia
India is out in front and centre of significant opportunities for Boeing, with India› s defence forces having invested in advanced capabilities for the present and in the future. Boeing is committed to supporting, as well as helping modernisation of India›s armed forces.
At a virtual pre-Farnborough Air Show 2020 briefing, Boeing discussed delivery of two F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet flight test aircraft to the US Navy. “Boeing is on schedule to deliver next-generation Block III capabilities to the US Navy in 2021. By 2024, one squadron per carrier air wing will consist of Block III Super Hornets. The same Block III aircraft that is being built for the US. Navy is on offer to the Indian Navy.”
Thom Breckenridge, vice president of International Sales for Strike, Surveillance and Mobility, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, stated that “the F/A-18 for the Indian Navy provides the best capability with the Block III configuration, and benefits from the multi- billion dollar investments made towards new technologies in the Super Hornet by the US Navy and
international customers. The F/A-18 Super Hornet will provide superior value and tremendous opportunity the Indian Navy. It can enhance collaboration in the areas of naval aviation between the Indian Navy and the US Navy to maintain peace and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The F/A-18 Super Hornet will enhance collaboration between the US Navy and Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean region.
Boeing’s plan is to offer ‘ By India, For India’ sustainment programme that will build on other successful sustainment programmes that Boeing is executing for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy today, to sustain, modify and upgrade F/A-18 Super Hornet from India”.
The Super Hornet will offer the Indian Navy the most economical path to get access to newer technologies. With massive scale of the Super Hornets (more than 700 plus aircraft in US inventory), the cost of incorporating newly developed advanced technologies will be very competitive as the overall cost will be spread across a large number of aircraft. Future collaboration between the two navies can thrive on huge economies of scale which helps in interoperability and improves economics for collaboration on new technologies to meet the emerging threats. The F/A-18 Super Hornet has a very attractive lifecycle cost. It not only has an affordable acquisition cost, but it costs less per flight hour to operate than any other tactical aircraft in production in the US forces inventory, including single engine fighters. This is possible because the fighter is designed for ease of maintainability and offers impressive durability
Torbjorn ( Turbo) Sjogren, vice president, International Government and Defence, highlighted trends in government services offerings seen around the world in digital, training, supply chain and maintenance. “We see tremendous opportunity for growth in India’s defence sector and further strengthening our relationship with the armed forces. We are committed to flawless execution on our current programmes and supporting India with their future defence needs” stated Sjogren. “Also, with India’s recent strides in space exploration and ambitions towards human space flights before August 2022, we see immense opportunity to partner with ISRO in their endeavours. Notwithstanding our six decades of space experience, Boeing is inspired by what India has achieved and its aspirations for the future,” Sjogren added.
With lessons learned from supporting C- 17, P- 8I and other aircraft in India, combined with in-depth Boeing experience in sustaining aircraft worldwide, Boeing is in the process of developing sustainment concepts for the Apache and Chinook. “Boeing is seeing a wave of big international opportunities and campaigns in this region and around the globe.”
The Gripen E has been ordered by the Air Forces of Brazil and Sweden and deliveries have begun to both nations. The Gripen E has been developed to counter – and defeat – the most advanced threats in the modern battlespace. Its unique architecture makes this an intelligent fighter system that continuously evolves by rapidly embracing new technology and tactics in a manner that will always keep the IAF one step ahead. The Gripen E is arguably the most modern fighter in the world today and along with its weaponry, including the game-changing, Meteor BVR (Beyond Visual Range) missile, the Gripen E will give India an edge against all its adversaries.
Latest high performance sensors such as the AESA radar, IRST system, advanced datalinks and AI-enabled decision support gives the Gripen E pilot superior situational awareness and ability to “see first-act first”.
Its low visual and electronic signatures with a fully integrated onboard self-defence and ECM suite with 360 degree spherical coverage, together with latest and most advanced weapons available, secures its mission success and brings the pilot home safe.
With its combat performance and power projection capability, the Gripen E will assuredly provide the IAF with deterrence power in the region.
The offer for India
We have provided a comprehensive response to the IAF’s Request for Information concerning fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The Saab proposal delivers the perfect fighter for India’s current and future needs. Furthermore it supports India´s ambition for stronger indigenous capabilities and self-reliance with the latest technologies for development and production of future fighters, such as the futuristic AMCA.
Saab’s offer will enable Indian companies to take part in industrial processes of the world’s most advanced fighter, absorbing state-of-the-art capabilities and technologies with applications in both the military and civilian sectors. Through the Make in India initiative, a generational shift in full spectrum fighter capabilities will accelerate India’s indigenous defence and industrial ambitions.
The offer consists of very comprehensive Transfer of Capability packages focused on building indigenous abilities to design, develop, produce and maintain a modern state-of the-art fighter system platform. Saab are going far beyond shifting any assembly line to India. Our offer provides for building self- reliant skills in India and consists of a production- oriented
part, a design and development-oriented part related to the Gripen. Saab will also provide a capability- oriented design & development aspect that is intended to support the indigenous development of advanced fighter aircraft such as the AMCA, possibly in close cooperation with ADA and the DRDO. The offer also includes an extensive indigenous MRO solution that will provide India with capabilities to maintain – and upgrade – the aircraft as needed in the future.
The build- up of these capabilities will require substantial investments from Saab, the Indian side as well as from our International partners. Investments will need to be made in facilities, training, machinery and so on. However, these investments will very much serve as a baseline to create thousands of jobopportunities for skilled workers as well as for engineers and technicians. The spill-over effect will be substantial and also DPSUs will be able to benefit significantly from Transfer of Technology
Capabilities.
The overall aim is to build an ecosystem that in the execution phase that can support with local manufacturing of parts for ourselves as well as for our system partners/suppliers. Saab’s successes over the years in forging meaningful partnerships is because the industrial cooperation forms a natural and integral part of any new business initiative.
We are already sourcing aero-structures parts, such as sub-assemblies, machined parts and sheet metal parts and are continuing to undertake further surveys in the aerostructures area. We are now continuing on that process, together with our system partners, in order to find the right partners for our partners so as to reach optimum localisation. or
Transfer of
Projects in combat aviation give reasons for real pride as it is in this domain that, over a long period of time, the brand ‘MiG’ has made, and continues to make, significant contribution to the air power of India’s air forces.
More than 1000 ‘MiG’ aircraft have been supplied to the Indian forces and also manufactured under licence by Indian industry. In fact, the first licence production of MiG-21 fighter, almost half a century back, was actually start of the ‘Make in India’ programme long before this became an established fact. Second, third and fourth generations of ‘MiG’ aircraft have been supplied within the framework of military-technical cooperation and Indian pilots got advanced MiG fighters much earlier than other foreign operators. As
an example, in the 1980s, India was the first country to receive MiG- 29s even before USSR allies of the Warsaw Pact did.
Manufacturing, maintenance and repair facilities for ‘MiG’ aircraft have long been localised in India, which supports the Indian Air Force and Navy to significantly reduce time and cost of all stages of aftersales support, from setting up of technical centres to scheduled maintenance and repair-restoration work.
An important aspect in development of military-technical cooperation between the two countries is a potential decision of the Indian Government to purchase twenty one MiG-29s manufactured by the ‘Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG’ (as part of the United Aircraft Corporation). Sources in the Indian Ministry of Defence explain that this purchase is necessary for augmentation of the country’s combat fleet at a time when the earlier generation MiG21 aircraft are being replaced according to the plan.
At the same time, in the current international situation, India is considering rapid upgradation of its MiG-29/MiG29UB fleet as also upgrading MiG-29K/ KUB fighters of the Indian Navy.
Corresponding with modern approaches on the supply and operation of aviation equipment, the ‘MiG’ Corporation is ready to offer a wide range of services for post-sales support and training of aviation personnel, including the complex maintenance systems,
in cooperation with local partners and also long-term maintenance LTA contracts.
It is also important to note that the ‘MiG’ Corporation offers a comprehensive offset programme, and also that the most important and demanding parts of this programme within the framework of previously concluded contracts are already being implemented by the Corporation. Thus, joint ventures and high- tech opportunities are created in India, with the most advanced technologies absorbed by the industry.
A new and significant opportunity in development of military- technical cooperation between the countries the potential tender for supply of 114 multirole fighters for the Indian Air Force. To participate in the tender the ‘ MiG’ Corporation has worked on a proposal for local production of the MiG-35 fighter in keeping with the strategic cooperation agreement involving the Indian industrial partner.
The MiG-35 aircraft is considered as pinnacle of the ‘MiG’ aircraft family, and designed for operation in high-intensity armed conflicts, in conditions of extensive and layered enemy air defence systems. The MiG-35 can perform complex multipurpose missions in a continuously changing operational and tactical environment against air, ground and surface targets. Incorporating fifth- generation fighter technologies, radar with active phased array antenna, a modern cockpit, wide range of weapons including those foreign-made, having high rate of operational reliability and with an infrastructure already existing in India, plus experience of the Indian Air Force pilots, this could give great advantage to the MiG-35 in the upcoming tender.
Proposal of the ‘ MiG’ Corporation involves full transfer of technology to the Indian Government, providing the full scope of manufacturing technologies, operational and repair documentation. Implementation of the project for supply and indigenous production of MiG- 35 aircraft will allow the Indian aviation industry to exploit advanced manufacturing technologies and developing of key systems of 5th generation aviation equipment, as well as to increase scientific knowhow for the development of other national aviation projects.
This time- tested partnership is one of the important components of the two countries foreign policy. Over the years of being friendly ties in various fields, the peoples of India and Russia have greatly benefited from each other’s strengths. Thus, it is important that New Delhi and Moscow continue to expand and strengthen their military-technical cooperation in order to meet modern challenges.
This is the very basis of freedom, independence and prosperity of the ‘two’ countries for many years to come.