UK and India to forge closer defence technology ties
Arjun Mk 1A main battle tank. (Photo: Gordon Arthur)
The UK and India are stepping up defence ties across several areas.
The UK and India are set to finalise a Letter of Arrangement between the UK's Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and India's Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO).
UK Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin confirmed the planned technology agreement in response to a written parliamentary question on 17 May.
Quin wrote: 'The UK and India are due to finalise a Letter of Arrangement between the UK's Defence Science & Technology Laboratory and India's Defence Research & Development Organisation.
'This will help to deliver advanced security capabilities through joint research, co-design, co-development and joint production of defence technology and systems.'
According to a joint UK-India statement published in late April, the Dstl-DRDO partnership will focus on 'key and emerging military technologies'.
During a visit to India in April, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a 'new and expanded' Defence and Security Partnership that he said would allow India to strengthen its domestic defence industry.
The two countries have established a joint working group on India-UK electric propulsion capability partnership to foster military and industrial collaboration on maritime electric propulsion systems.
To support defence and security collaboration with India over the next decade, the UK plans to issue an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to India, reducing bureaucracy and shortening delivery times for defence procurement.
The OGEL is the UK's first in the Indo-Pacific.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
