India and the UK have signed a major defense partnership worth $ 468 million (approximately Rs. 3884 crore) during a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Mumbai. Under this agreement, Britain will provide the Indian Army with Lightweight Multi-Role Missile (LMMR). This missile will be manufactured by French company Thales.
According to media reports, the British government has called this agreement a historic step in its defense sector and to deepen strategic ties with India. These missiles will be manufactured at Thales’ plant in Northern Ireland. British officials have said that this agreement will protect about 700 British jobs currently working at the same plant supplying weapons to Ukraine. This move marks a significant breakthrough in the India-UK Complex Weapons Partnership, which both countries have been discussing for a long time.
At the Mumbai Summit, the two leaders also reviewed the India-UK trade relationship. The recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is now giving a new impetus to defence and technology cooperation. The UK has also announced a new agreement with India on electric engine technology for naval ships, with an initial value of £250 million. This initiative will further strengthen the multi-faceted partnership between the two countries. On this, PM Narendra Modi said that this is not just a trade agreement, but a guiding blueprint for shared progress, shared prosperity and shared people between the world’s two leading economies. Along with market access, this agreement will empower small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in both countries and open up new employment opportunities for millions of youth.
PM Modi further said, “In this period of global instability, the current calendar year has proven to be a strong year for India-UK relations. During my visit to the UK in July this year, we reached a consensus on the historic Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). I greatly appreciate the dedication and contribution of my friend Prime Minister Starmer for this historic achievement.”
