Rolls-Royce Marine North America has inked an initial pact with Pune-based Bharat Forge subsidiary KKSL for naval marine propulsors, the company said on Saturday. The pact may include, but is not limited to, design and development, licensed manufacturing, pre-sales and sales support; installation, commissioning, testing and aftermarket services and support, Rolls-Royce said in a statement.

Kalyani Strategic Service Limited (KSSL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Pune-based Bharat Forge.

The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two firms is to explore the opportunity for Kalyani Strategic Service to become an in-country provider for propulsor sales within the Indian market, it said.

The new pact is expected to enable the creation of a local supply chain ecosystem in India for controllable pitch propellers and shafting, Rolls-Royce said.

The partnership with Kalyani Strategic Service Ltd and Bharat Forge will further strengthen the company's defence ecosystem in India, said Kishore Jayaraman, President for India and South Asia at Rolls-Royce.

"We believe this will build on our long history of making in India, for India, and for the world," he added.

Bharat Forge is taking significant strides to indigenise critical systems and subsystems for the Armed Forces, Baba Kalyani, Chairman of Kalyani Group said.

"This strategic collaboration with Rolls-Royce is aimed at indigenously developing niche naval propulsion technologies and products for the Indian Navy," he said.