India and Belgium on Thursday called for deeper defence industrial collaboration, with the two sides emphasising co-development and co-production of niche technologies to strengthen their armed forces and contribute to shared security.
The call was made at the India-Belgium Defence CEOs Roundtable and B2B Meetings held in New Delhi, which were attended by Belgium’s Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade Theo Francken, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, representatives of Belgian defence companies, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
Francken highlighted the strong potential for greater industrial cooperation between the two countries and said joint efforts were needed to strengthen the two militaries amid an evolving security environment.
Underscoring the growing strategic partnership between India and the European Union, the Belgian minister said institutional mechanisms for dialogue were developing across areas including maritime security, information security and aerospace.
He also commended the dynamism of Indian entrepreneurs and stressed the importance of closer cooperation between the two countries’ defence industries.
India offers manufacturing scale and technology partnerships
Sanjay Seth said India was undergoing a strategic transformation in defence manufacturing, moving from import dependence towards indigenous capability, trusted partnerships and global competitiveness through initiatives such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
He said strategic autonomy was best secured through credible and mutually beneficial international collaboration.
Seth said India and Belgium could leverage their respective strengths and focus on areas such as cyber security, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, underwater domain vehicles and complex weapon systems.
He also highlighted innovation platforms such as iDEX and ADITI, which are engaging start-ups and MSMEs in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, military communications, anti-drone systems and adaptive camouflage.
According to the Minister of State for Defence, these platforms provide opportunities for bilateral research and development as well as industrialisation.
India’s defence ecosystem expanding
Seth said India’s defence industrial base now comprises Defence Public Sector Undertakings, a growing private sector and more than 16,000 MSMEs.
Domestic industry is increasingly delivering advanced capabilities across aerospace, naval and land platforms, defence electronics, cyber security, space technologies and unmanned systems, he said.
Measures led by the Department of Defence Production are aimed at accelerating capacity building, strengthening supply chains and incentivising technology transfer and co-development, Seth added.
He also highlighted India’s liberalised foreign direct investment framework, under which FDI in the defence sector is permitted up to 74 per cent through the automatic route and up to 100 per cent through the government route for eligible investments.
The Minister said India’s defence industrial corridors in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh provide ecosystem support and competitive incentives for foreign original equipment manufacturers and technology partners. Further defence industrial corridors are planned in Maharashtra, Assam and other regions.
Multiple MoUs exchanged
During the event, several Memoranda of Understanding were exchanged to facilitate partnerships between Belgian technology companies and Indian firms.
The agreements included pacts between SIDM and the Belgian Security & Defence Industry; Larsen & Toubro and Exail Robotics SAS and EXAIL Robotics Belgium; Kalyani Strategic Systems and FN Herstal; Tembo Classic Engineering and Lachaussée SA; India Optel and OIP; Krishna Industries and Pitagone; DGVK Enterprises and Sol1 BV; and Kalyani Strategic Systems, Thales Belgium and Thales India.
The agreements are aimed at leveraging Belgian technological expertise and India’s industrial capabilities and manufacturing scale.
