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Rolls-Royce puts £300 million into UK manufacturing and MRO capacity. Rolls-Royce is stepping up investment in its UK industrial footprint with a £300 million programme spanning manufacturing, engineering and aftermarket facilities, strengthening the infrastructure supporting its Civil Aerospace and Defence businesses. The investment forms part of a broader transformation of the company's UK operations. Rolls-Royce says it has invested more than £3 billion in the country since the start of its transformation programme in 2023, with the latest funding aimed at expanding manufacturing capacity, improving operational efficiency and preparing its facilities for future aerospace programmes. For the MRO sector, a key element of the programme is the expansion of aftermarket capability at the company's Derby site, alongside a major upgrade of its Bristol facilities that will increase Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul capability. Derby: Expanding capacity for Civil Aerospace At Derby, home to Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace operations, the company is investing more than £140 million in new engineering and manufacturing services facilities. The investment is designed to support future growth while improving the working environment for employees. It also includes upgrades to aftermarket support, with additional capacity and improvements aimed at increasing operational efficiency. The work is expected to be completed in 2028. Derby is central to Rolls-Royce's large commercial engine activities, serving as the UK hub for design, engineering, programme management and advanced manufacturing for the Trent family. The site also houses advanced engine testing and precision casting capabilities, as well as the final stage of the global supply chain for Trent engines. The combination of manufacturing and aftermarket investment gives the Derby programme significance beyond additional production capacity. It is intended to strengthen the infrastructure required to support current engine programmes while creating capacity for future growth. Bristol: Strengthening Defence MRO capability Rolls-Royce is investing more than £90 million at its Bristol site in a major facility upgrade programme focused on operational delivery, digital security and programme output. The investment will support more than 3,500 employees at the site and includes new collaborative workspaces, enhanced IT infrastructure and increased MRO capability. The programme is scheduled for completion in 2031. Bristol is a major centre for Rolls-Royce's UK military power and propulsion activities. Its operations include design, engineering and through-life support for aerospace and naval platforms, including the EJ200 engine for the Eurofighter Typhoon and the MT30 marine gas turbine. The site is also involved in the next-generation Global Combat Air Programme, making the modernisation of its engineering and industrial infrastructure strategically important to Rolls-Royce's future defence programmes. Building advanced manufacturing capacity The wider investment programme extends beyond Derby and Bristol. At Inchinnan in Glasgow, Rolls-Royce is investing £43 million in new machinery to enable the manufacture of additional engine components. At Rotherham, a £19 million investment in the Advanced Blade Casting Facility, supported by a further £2 million from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, is set to increase the facility's capability and productivity. The Rotherham programme is expected to double output of advanced turbine blades by 2030. These components are critical to jet-engine performance and represent an important part of Rolls-Royce's vertically integrated manufacturing capability. At Ansty in Warwickshire, a further £5 million will fund machinery upgrades designed to improve manufacturing capability and efficiency. Investment extends into supply chain The scale of the programme also has implications for Rolls-Royce's domestic industrial network. The company says the multi-year investment will provide greater stability for hundreds of UK engineering partners, component manufacturers and SMEs supplying parts and services across its operations. In 2025, Rolls-Royce spent more than £2.8 billion with UK-based suppliers, with the majority of that expenditure going to businesses located outside London and the South East. For the aerospace MRO ecosystem, the investment therefore extends beyond Rolls-Royce's own facilities. Increased manufacturing capacity, upgraded aftermarket infrastructure and improved engineering capabilities can strengthen the wider network supporting engine production, maintenance and through-life support. Preparing for the next generation Aerospace Rolls-Royce's latest UK investment represents a combination of manufacturing expansion, engineering modernisation and MRO capability development. With Civil Aerospace and Defence programmes evolving simultaneously, the company is using its UK industrial base to increase capacity while modernising the facilities and technologies required to support engines throughout their operational lives. The programme also highlights the increasingly interconnected nature of aerospace manufacturing and MRO. From turbine blades and engine components to aftermarket support and through-life capability, investment in production infrastructure can directly influence the industry's ability to maintain, repair and support increasingly complex propulsion systems. With projects running through 2028 and 2031, Rolls-Royce is positioning its UK facilities not only to meet today's demand, but also to support the next phase of commercial aerospace and defence propulsion programmes.

Indian firms line up for Rolls-Royce AMCA engine drive. The push to develop an indigenous combat-aircraft engine for India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is seeing industrial players, including Rolls-Royce and Reliance Industries, engage local suppliers in the emerging ecosystem of manufacturers. At the Reliance Industries Supplier Forum 2026, aerospace suppliers' executive leadership gathered to hear Rolls-Royce present its technology partnership proposition. LMW Advanced Technology Centre stated that it participated in the forum and that the initiative was part of an emerging indigenous aero-engine ecosystem to support the AMCA program. The company's parent, Lakshmi Machine Works, is one of India's prominent precision engineering groups. LMW Advanced Technology Centre is the advanced technology arm of LMS, focused on high-value capital good manufacturing and research-intensive technology development. LMW's participation in the forum means that an established Indian engineering group is involved in the discussions around the proposed AMCA engine. In addition to design and development, India would need an ecosystem to produce spares, accessories, and specialized components for indigenous platforms such as the AMCA. It would require not fewer than a dozen mission-critical sectors, including precision forging, castings, specialty material fabrication, hot-section, transmission, and accessory gears. Geographic Reference Rolls-Royce has a strong track record in India, having supplied engines to several of the country's combat aircraft, including the Jaguar, powered by the Adour turbofan. The proposed partnership, if realized, would mark the first time India has worked with an international collaborator on a combat aircraft engine of this nature. If the joint proposal is realized, it will see India's first indigenous sixth-generation combat aircraft, with aerodynamic features comparable to those of the Rafale and F-35. EDITED BY RAUNAK KUNDE

Rolls-Royce secures deal for ŠKODA-made hardware to drive the next generation of nuclear power stations. * Critical safety hardware for an upcoming range of Rolls-Royce's turbine-equipped nuclear power stations is being provided by ŠKODA JS * The Czech company will provide safety mechanisms for 470 MW reactors * ŠKODA JS was bought by the Czech Republic's state-backed electric power company ČEZ in 2022, removing it from its previous Russian owner, OMZ Development of new nuclear plants based around Rolls-Royce turbines will feature critical safety hardware from ŠKODA JS, it has been announced. The Czechia-based company - once part of the old ŠKODA Works organization - will design and manufacture the Control Rod Drive Mechanisms, which are vital for regulating output and handling safety in emergencies. The Rolls-Royce SMR (small modular reactor, but also referred to as UK SMR) is a reactor capable of outputting 470 MW of energy. That's the equivalent of 150 onshore wind turbines, and offers a low-carbon, always on, and virtually invisible alternative to landscape-spoiling steel and fiberglass constructions. Competition for nuclear hardware expertise is strong across Europe, and ŠKODA JS is considered a "tier-one" supplier. The deal is expected to be worth Kč 1 billion Czech Koruna (around £35 million) per Rolls-Royce power station. Memorandum of Understanding. Announcement of the ŠKODA JS built Control Rod Drive Mechanisms (CRDMs) follows an earlier Memorandum of Understanding with Rolls-Royce, in which the British company developed plans to develop sites in the Czech Republic, enabling deployment of up to 3GW of power. Daniel Beneš, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ČEZ, said: "It is precisely ČEZ's role as a strategic partner and shareholder of Rolls-Royce SMR that is key to these successes for Czech companies. Škoda JS now faces the task of developing a prototype specifically for small modular reactors so that it can subsequently supply them to Rolls-Royce SMR worldwide." The Rolls-Royce SMR project is forecast to create 40,000 jobs in the UK by 2050, and is targeting £250bn of exports. It has additional Memorandums of Understanding in place with Estonia and Turkey, and is delivering a trio of SMRs to locations on Sweden's west coast. Leading the SMR field. Small modular reactors are seen as the future of nuclear power, providing the option to assemble on-site rather than requiring huge civil engineering projects. While smaller in size and output (providing 300 MW rather than 1,000 MW), they are also more affordable than traditional nuclear power stations, and can be situated closer to industrial sites. "ŠKODA JS has proven capability in delivering one of the most important components in our power plant," noted Chris Cholerton, Rolls-Royce SMR Chief Executive. "As one of the few businesses in Europe able to provide this vital component, we are proud to have secured Skoda JS as a strategic supplier, further demonstrating the industrial benefits that this project brings." Rolls-Royce is seen as one of the foremost SMR builders, an extension of its turbine technology. This dates to the 1940s, and over the years has been adapted for propulsion across a number of vehicle types, land, sea and air, as well as power generation. Similarly, ŠKODA JS has a notable legacy and draws on around 70 years' worth of nuclear power know-how.