Erginbilgic said Rolls-Royce was strengthening its position as a global leader in autonomous propulsion, which he described as a market with significant growth potential. He made the comments during the company’s second-quarter earnings call covering its first-half 2026 results.
The UK Defence Investment Plan includes a commitment to spend £5 billion on autonomous platforms over the next four years, according to the CEO. He presented the allocation as part of a broader increase in government support for technologies that could shape the next generation of military aviation.
Rolls-Royce already supplies propulsion for the US Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refuelling aircraft. Erginbilgic highlighted the Navy’s successful first flight of the aircraft, which is powered by the company’s AE engine family, as one of several autonomous-system milestones reached during the period.
The CEO did not disclose expected engine volumes, revenue or production schedules associated with the MQ-25A. His comments instead placed the programme within Rolls-Royce’s wider effort to build a stronger position in propulsion for unmanned military platforms.
The company is also working under contract in Germany on a scalable core engine concept for medium-class Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Erginbilgic said the design could be adapted for multiple autonomous platforms and that Rolls-Royce aimed to complete the current work towards the end of 2026.
A scalable engine core could allow the company to address several aircraft designs without developing an entirely separate propulsion architecture for each platform. Erginbilgic, however, did not identify the customer, disclose the contract value or discuss possible follow-on development and production phases.
The UK allocation, the MQ-25A milestone and the German CCA project give Rolls-Royce exposure to different stages of the autonomous-aircraft market. They range from government spending commitments and early propulsion design to an existing US military aircraft programme.
Erginbilgic’s remarks also suggest that Rolls-Royce views autonomy as a distinct long-term growth area rather than an extension of its traditional combat-aircraft portfolio alone. The company is seeking to apply its propulsion capabilities across unmanned refuelling aircraft and future collaborative platforms designed to operate alongside crewed combat jets.
Rolls-Royce did not provide a separate sales target for autonomous propulsion during the call. Erginbilgic nevertheless identified the sector as one of the Defence division’s main future opportunities, supported by rising public investment and engine work already under way in the United States and Europe.
