Over the past few decades Saudi Arabia has been largely relying on Western weapons

India and Saudi Arabia have taken a significant step toward strengthening their defence and strategic relationship by exploring the possibility of joint manufacturing of military hardware, underscoring the growing depth of bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

The discussions, held in New Delhi during the meeting of the India–Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation, revolved around expanding defence industrial collaboration, maritime security, and military-to-military engagement.

Both sides emphasised their shared commitment to building long-term institutional partnerships in defence production, technology transfer, and supply-chain integration, with a particular focus on ensuring self-reliance and reducing dependency on external suppliers.

The talks signalled intent to leverage India’s growing capabilities in defence manufacturing, including its progress under the Make in India initiative, and Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goal of localising more than half of its defence procurement.

The deliberations highlighted multiple areas of bilateral collaboration, including joint training programmes, knowledge sharing in tactical communication, enhanced cooperation in cyberspace and information technology, and joint work on disaster management mechanisms.

India offered specialised training slots to Saudi officers in its defence academies and stressed the importance of skill-building for operational efficiency. Both sides also considered industrial partnerships through joint ventures in equipment production, research and development, and co-production of next-generation systems such as drones, electronic warfare tools, and naval platforms. 

Maritime cooperation was another key focus, driven by the shared interest in securing the Arabian Sea, the Arabian Gulf, and adjacent waters that remain crucial to energy shipments and global trade routes.

The push for deeper defence collaboration comes amid Saudi Arabia’s determination to diversify its security partnerships beyond the United States and Europe and India’s strategic outreach to the wider Gulf region. Defence cooperation between New Delhi and Riyadh has grown in recent years, supported by high-level political engagements.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s April 2025 visit to Saudi Arabia established a ministerial committee on defence under the broader India–Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, institutionalising defence interactions at the top political level. The present discussions build on that momentum, underscoring how the partnership is evolving from buyer-seller dynamics to joint development and knowledge-based cooperation.

For India, strengthening defence industry collaboration with Saudi Arabia serves multiple objectives: expanding its defence export basket, supporting the growth of indigenous defence firms, opening opportunities for Indian private and public-sector enterprises in the Middle East, and cementing its role as a preferred security partner in the Gulf.

For Saudi Arabia, joint manufacturing with India provides a cost-efficient alternative to Western defence imports, supports Riyadh’s long-term industrial localisation agenda, creates avenues for technology absorption, and enhances its operational self-sufficiency. Additionally, the focus on joint exercises and capacity-building initiatives further consolidates military interoperability, signalling a stronger strategic convergence in the Indian Ocean region.

In conclusion, the outcome of the joint committee meeting reflects a steady deepening of India–Saudi defence relations, with both nations identifying actionable opportunities to co-create defence equipment, strengthen maritime and cyber cooperation, and scale up training initiatives. The transition from talks to concrete projects—such as joint R&D units, industrial clusters, or defence innovation ecosystems—will determine the pace and impact of this partnership in the coming years.

With India emerging as a credible defence manufacturing hub and Saudi Arabia pursuing its diversification agenda under Vision 2030, the timing is ripe for the two sides to institutionalise a robust framework for joint defence industrial cooperation, thereby reinforcing their strategic alignment in the broader Asia–Middle East security landscape.

Based On A PTI Report