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
-
![US, Canada advance with over-the-horizon radar programmes to close NORAD surveillance gaps]()
US, Canada advance with over-the-horizon radar programmes to close NORAD surveillance gaps
Washington and Ottawa’s Arctic and homeland radar initiatives aim to strengthen early warning against cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons and long-range aerospace threats approaching North America.
-
![The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement]()
The speed of relevance: how companies can navigate the new era of European defence procurement
European militaries face a rapidly evolving security landscape and defence production must accelerate to meet surging demand for platforms and equipment. Industry needs to adapt to ensure it gets its products into the hands of the end user, Evelyn Rafferty, Senior Director Aerospace and Defence - Europe at Plexus told Shephard’s Gerrard Cowan.
-
![Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP]()
Delays, departures and drama cloud UK defence programmes ahead of absent DIP
The UK defence secretary’s departure suggests that the long-delayed Defence Investment Plan is unlikely to meet the funding demands of the armed forces, with consequences for procurement and the UK’s standing at a NATO summit weeks away.
