Asia Defense | Security | South Asia

India, UK Fire Up Defense Cooperation With Joint Development

An inter-governmental agreement to develop and incorporate integrated full electric propulsion for the Indian Navy’s four landing platform docks is underway.

India’s Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh shakes hands with U.K.’s Permanent Under Secretary for Defense Jeremy Pocklington at the 25th India–UK Defense Consultative Group Meeting at New Delhi, India, on August 21, 2026.

India and the United Kingdom are close to signing two inter-governmental agreements (IGAs) for the incorporation of electric propulsion on Indian Navy ships and production of Marlet lightweight multirole missiles (LMM). These are decisive steps toward forging long-term defense industrial cooperation and deepening the bilateral strategic partnership.

At the same time, the U.K. has also upped its pitch for another mega-deal — the design and development of a jet engine to power the advanced medium combat aircraft (AMCA), India’s fifth-generation fighter.

The two countries have made concerted efforts to deepen defense cooperation and find a long-term overarching deal to anchor that effort. This intent was formalized in the 10‑year Defense Industrial Roadmap under the “Vision 2035” announced last year, which focuses on deepening collaboration in advanced technologies and complex weapons, supporting innovation and co-development, through cooperation programs such as the Jet Engine Advanced Core Technologies. It also calls for strengthening research and development on developing new capabilities, including underwater systems and direct energy weapons.

The expanding military-to-military cooperation, joint exercises and research collaborations add to the broadening cooperation. Another important binding factor is overlapping concerns and converging interests in the Indo-Pacific, where Britain sees India as one of the most important “stabilizing forces.”

Beyond defense and security, the overall relationship too has leapfrogged with high-level commitment from both sides. That push led to the conclusion of the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA), one of the biggest trade deals of modern times, that came into effect on July 15, 2026.

Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP)

The IGA to be signed is to develop and incorporate IFEP for the Indian Navy’s four landing platform docks (LPD) for which a separate tender is underway. The conversation for deploying IFEP on Indian Navy’s future vessels is several years old, as the Indian Navy set its sights on shifting from diesel to electric propulsion engines to bring in efficiency, and reduce fossil fuel dependency and emissions.

Formalizing the conversation, a joint working group called the “India-UK electric propulsion capability partnership” was set up in early 2023. A Statement of Intent to co-design, co-create and co-produce maritime electric propulsion systems was signed in November 2024, and the intent to finalize an IGA was announced when the India and British prime ministers met in Mumbai in October 2025. As part of the cooperation, GE Vernova and state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited announced the setting up of India’s first land-based test facility for IFEP.

However, IFEP systems on four LPDs are just the start, as the Indian Navy is targeting a 200-ship force by 2035 in response to expanding Chinese naval numbers and presence in the Indian Ocean Region. Some existing ships could also be converted to electric propulsion. The IFEP brings significant operational efficiencies in this regard, which the Royal Navy has mastered, having operationally deployed it on several frontline ships, including its aircraft carrier. In April 2023, U.K.’s Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin observed that the U.K. is one of the world’s leaders in maritime electric propulsion, having been on it for at least 20 years, and cooperation with the U.K. means that India “doesn’t have to go through a 20-year journey.”

The LPD project, an ambition for almost two decades, received a fresh sanction from the Defense Acquisition Council, the highest body for procurements in India’s Ministry of Defense, in October 2025. These vessels, displacing around 29,000 tons, will be built by Indian shipyards in partnership with foreign partners.

Once rolled out, this deal will intertwine collaboration over the next several decades. However, given India’s notorious procurement process, the IFEP deployment depends on the LPD deal reaching its logical conclusion in a reasonable timeframe.

The Elusive Engine Deal

India is looking for a global partner for design and development of a 120kN jet engine to power the AMCA-Mk2. While negotiations between Safran of France and Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) have been ongoing for several years now, the delay opened prospects for the U.K’s Rolls Royce and........

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