Earlier this year a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Technology Industrial Capability Cooperation has been signed between the two countries highlighting the British government’s efforts in enhancing cooperation with India.

Vice-Chair UKIBC Richard McCallum has said that it will not only support and but will also build on the huge opportunities for collaboration that exist between the defence industries of the two sides.”

To further promote India-UK collaboration, the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) has established an Aerospace and Defence Industry Group. The initiative is also in recognition of the relationship between the two countries in the defence and aerospace sector and the Defence vertical is an example of how this cooperation is being taken to a new level.

An official statement from UKIBC has said that the vertical has been created based on suggestions of the Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) and with the support of UK Defence Solutions Centre (UK DSC), ADS Group Ltd, the Department for International Trade (DIT), and industry the vertical Aerospace and Defence Industry Group (ADIG) has been formed. The main members of the group include Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Thales UK, MBDA, Leonardo, TVS Logistics, PEXA, Pattonair and Cranfield University.

Earlier this year a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Technology Industrial Capability Cooperation has been signed between the two countries highlighting the British government’s efforts in enhancing cooperation with India.

Vice-Chair UKIBC Richard McCallum has said that it will not only support and but will also build on the huge opportunities for collaboration that exist between the defence industries of the two sides.”

And the collaboration between companies are expected to not only advance India’s defence acquisition process but also foster long-term technology and hardware transfers, the UKIBC vice chair added.

He further explained that the UKIBC supports India’s Make in India initiative and that the new vertical the Aerospace and Defence Industry Group can contribute to India’s continued emphasis on defence modernisation and sophisticated military capabilities.

Under the ‘Make in India’ initiative both the manufacturing sector and ADIG can contribute significantly towards building an ecosystem for defence manufacturing in the country, according to Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls Royce India and South Asia.

Both sides can work together to build on India’s vision of indigenisation and defence modernisation with sophisticated military capabilities and advanced technologies, added Chairman of the ADIG group.