Rolls-Royce to woo Indian military with massive ship engine

The British powerhouse Rolls-Royce is set to showcase a massive marine engine at Aero India 2021 in a bid to woo Indian defence forces.

The MT30 engine, which powers the United Kingdom’s new aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, plus a range of other warships from Nato and Asian nations, will form the centerpiece of Rolls-Royce’s involvement at the air expo.

The power-dense marine gas turbine MT30, which has been derived from the Aero Trent engine family, can generate up to 40MW from a 30-tonne packaged unit, including most of the auxiliary systems.

“MT30 gives navies more power in less machinery space than alternative engine types,” Rolls-Royce said.

The company said it is hoping for interest from the India Navy, adding that the engine could be offered for indigenous manufacturing in keeping with “Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

Kishore Jayaram, president, Rolls-Royce India and South Asia, said the company hopes to discuss MT30’s relevance as the Indian Navy moves with its modernisation programme.

Alex Zino, executive vice president, Business Development and Future Programmes (Defence), Rolls-Royce, said the company recognises that India’s defence requirements are evolving, which makes indigenous development of modern defence hardware and technology a top priority for the government.

“We also understand what it takes to build future-ready defence capabilities, and have been working closely with our Indian partners to strengthen the entire ecosystem including supply chain, sourcing, service and repairs, research and development and manufacturing capabilities,” he said.

Rolls-Royce said the engine can operate in ambient temperatures up to 38°C without any power degradation throughout the life of the ship. The MT30 is operating or has been selected for all conceivable propulsion arrangements across seven ship types in 12 naval programmes around the world.