India and Japan have signed a memorandum to advance maritime security cooperation covering information sharing, naval exercises, ship repair and logistics, alongside wider defence technology cooperation.
Larsen & Toubro and France-based Exail have partnered to provide an unmanned mine counter-measure suite for the Indian Navy’s planned fleet of 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels. The companies will offer autonomous and remotely operated systems designed to detect and neutralise naval mines.
MBDA has signed an agreement with the Indian Air Force to establish a Maintenance, Repair and Mid-Life Overhaul facility for MICA missiles in India. The Indian Air Force will operate the facility with MBDA providing tools, training and technical support.
Safran has announced new aviation investments in India, including LEAP and M88 engine MRO centres in Hyderabad and a joint venture with Bharat Electronics Limited to manufacture the Hammer air-to-surface weapon. The company outlined expanded production and engineering plans during a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
SMPP and KNDS have signed a teaming agreement to offer the KATANA family of precision-guided 155mm artillery ammunition to the Indian Army under the Make in India framework. The companies announced the agreement at Milipol in Paris, outlining plans to support India’s requirements for advanced artillery munitions.
The Indian Army has contracted Larsen & Toubro to manufacture BvS10 Sindhu all-terrain vehicles with technical support from BAE Systems Hägglunds. The agreement includes logistics support and marks the first expansion of the BvS10 platform into Asia, with the vehicles intended for use across diverse Indian operational environments.
L&T and BEL have added Dynamatic Technologies as an exclusive partner in India’s AMCA fifth-generation fighter program, combining strengths in aerostructures, engineering, and electronics to boost domestic aerospace manufacturing. The AMCA program, being developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is intended to equip the Indian Air Force with an indigenous, stealth-capable multirole combat aircraft.
Larsen & Toubro and General Atomics-ASI have signed a partnership to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance drones in India for the armed forces, with L&T as prime bidder and GA-ASI as technology partner under the Ministry of Defence’s 87-MALE RPAS programme.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the first batch of BrahMos missiles from the new BrahMos Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow, marking a major step in the UP Defence Industrial Corridor’s expansion of indigenous missile production.
Even after two decades since the acquisition case, the Very Short Range Air Defence (VSHORAD) search has seen a system absent from trials and failing trials, being passed as technically compliant and ending up as, apparently, the cheapest. Also problematic is the difficulty its purchase could pose by provoking U.S. sanctions under their CAATSA.
India’s defence procurement continues to raise more questions than answers, points out Hemant Shivakumar, with the uncertainty over the order of Spike Anti Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) appearing to be the latest casualty to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
The Gripen Partnership meet is meant to encourage its existing suppliers to meet and partner potential Indian suppliers for a potential Make in India Gripen production line.
