The two governments signed a Letter of Intent on defence cooperation, while India also announced the appointment of a resident defence attach\u00e9 in Brussels, complementing Belgium\u2019s defence attach\u00e9 in New Delhi.<\/p>\n
New Delhi: India and Belgium on Thursday (September 3) agreed to deepen defence cooperation, including joint development and production of military equipment, as prime minister Narendra Modi and his Belgian counterpart Bart De Wever sought to broaden a relationship traditionally centred on trade into a wider strategic partnership.<\/p>\n
De Wever, who arrived in India on Wednesday (September 2) for the first visit by a Belgian prime minister in two decades, held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefence and security cooperation is a key pillar of our relationship,\u201d Modi said after the talks. \u201cThe agreements between our governments and defence industries will open up new opportunities for defence co-development and co-production.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two governments signed a Letter of Intent on defence cooperation<\/a>, while India also announced the appointment of a resident defence attach\u00e9 in Brussels, complementing Belgium\u2019s defence attach\u00e9 in New Delhi. A separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Belgian Security and Defence Industry association and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers.<\/p>\n At a special briefing after the meeting, foreign secretary (West) Sibi George said the defence cooperation was now moving towards \u201cdesign, co-design, co-production\u201d and local manufacturing, combining Belgian technology with India\u2019s \u201cskill and scale\u201d. He said at least eight MoUs had been signed at a meeting of the defence-industry delegations accompanying De Wever.<\/p>\n The industrial cooperation ranges from naval mine-countermeasure capabilities to ammunition and rockets. Larsen & Toubro and Belgium’s Exail Robotics are partnering on mine-countermeasure vessels, while Kalyani Strategic Systems and Thales Belgium are working on producing 70-mm rockets in India. Other agreements involve Belgian ammunition maker Lachauss\u00e9e, India’s Tembo Classic Engineering, and companies working on military optics and equipment.<\/p>\n The Belgian defence ministry statement, quoted by Breaking Defense<\/a>, said the Thales-Kalyani project is expected to produce the first fully India-made 70-mm rocket in early 2027. The ministry also put the value of the Lachauss\u00e9e ammunition project at \u20ac50 million and said the production line could eventually have capacity for about 100 million rounds a year.<\/p>\n According to Belgian defence and foreign trade minister Theo Francken, Belgian defence company John Cockerill can supply the turret for India\u2019s Zorawar light tank, being developed for operations at very high altitude, while Belgian company OIP is supplying sights for the Arjun tank.<\/p>\n