LONDON / NEW DELHI: The United Kingdom has finalized a £350 million (US$468 million) defence agreement with India to supply the Indian Army with state-of-the-art lightweight multirole missiles — a deal that marks a new milestone in the growing strategic cooperation between the two nations.
The agreement was signed during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai, where he met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to deepen defence, economic, and technological partnerships. The missiles will be produced by Thales in Northern Ireland, a company already known for its advanced weapons systems supplied to Ukraine.
According to UK officials, the deal will secure over 700 jobs in Northern Ireland’s defence manufacturing sector while strengthening Britain’s global arms export profile. For India, the partnership underscores its ongoing effort to modernize its armed forces and enhance self-reliance in defence technology.
In addition to the missile contract, both sides also inked a £250 million deal for electric-powered ship engines, further expanding bilateral collaboration in defence engineering and innovation.
Strategic analysts view the agreement as a calculated move by London to reaffirm its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, aligning its defence priorities with India’s emerging regional influence. The partnership is also expected to pave the way for a “complex weapons collaboration framework”, setting the stage for long-term cooperation between the two militaries.
This story has been reported by PakTribune. All rights reserved.