NEW DELHI: India and the UK propose to further consolidate their strategic ties during defence minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to London this week, with enhancing security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and defence-industrial collaboration proposals in fighter jet engines and electric propulsion for warships figuring high on the bilateral agenda.
Singh, who will leave for the UK with a delegation of senior military, DRDO and ministry officials for the two-day visit on Monday, will discuss a wide range of defence, security and defence industrial cooperation issues with his counterpart secretary of state for defence Grant Shapps, officials said on Sunday.
The two sides are also likely to discuss the overall security situation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s aggressive behaviour as well as the ongoing Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
Singh is also slated to call on British PM Rishi Sunak and hold talks with foreign minister David Cameron, apart from interacting with CEOs and leaders of defence industry in UK as well as members of the Indian community, during his visit. This is the first time an Indian defence minister will be on an official visit to the UK after George Fernandes in 2002.
In recent months, India and the UK have been discussing measures to further strengthen their defence cooperation through joint exercises, maritime domain awareness, information exchange and defence-industrial collaboration.
The UK has also now stepped-up its focus on the IOR, with regular deployments of warships to the region. This provides Indian shipyards with the opportunity to extend facilities for maintenance and repair of forward-deployed warships and aircraft of the UK, on the lines of the Master Ship Repair Agreements inked with the US Navy.
As for military exercises, the Indian Army had sent a contingent of soldiers to the UK for the combat exercise `Ajeya Warrior’ in April last year. It was preceded by the IAF dispatching five Mirage-2000 fighters, two C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft, one IL-78 mid-air refueler and 145 personnel for the multi-nation exercise `Cobra Warrior’ in the UK from March 6 to 24.
Singh, who will leave for the UK with a delegation of senior military, DRDO and ministry officials for the two-day visit on Monday, will discuss a wide range of defence, security and defence industrial cooperation issues with his counterpart secretary of state for defence Grant Shapps, officials said on Sunday.
The two sides are also likely to discuss the overall security situation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China’s aggressive behaviour as well as the ongoing Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.
Singh is also slated to call on British PM Rishi Sunak and hold talks with foreign minister David Cameron, apart from interacting with CEOs and leaders of defence industry in UK as well as members of the Indian community, during his visit. This is the first time an Indian defence minister will be on an official visit to the UK after George Fernandes in 2002.
In recent months, India and the UK have been discussing measures to further strengthen their defence cooperation through joint exercises, maritime domain awareness, information exchange and defence-industrial collaboration.
The UK has also now stepped-up its focus on the IOR, with regular deployments of warships to the region. This provides Indian shipyards with the opportunity to extend facilities for maintenance and repair of forward-deployed warships and aircraft of the UK, on the lines of the Master Ship Repair Agreements inked with the US Navy.
As for military exercises, the Indian Army had sent a contingent of soldiers to the UK for the combat exercise `Ajeya Warrior’ in April last year. It was preceded by the IAF dispatching five Mirage-2000 fighters, two C-17 Globemaster-III aircraft, one IL-78 mid-air refueler and 145 personnel for the multi-nation exercise `Cobra Warrior’ in the UK from March 6 to 24.
