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OPINION                                                             OCTOBER 10, 2025       |  The Indian Eye 10


         Defence Contours of India-UK Vision




            2035: Opportunities and Challenges






           India and the UK launched the Vision 2035, which includes a 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap focused on
          co-design, co-development, and co-production of advanced technologies. The roadmap highlights collaboration in
         jet engines, naval propulsion, underwater systems, and directed-energy weapons, reflecting a shift from buyer–seller
         ties to joint innovation. Vision 2035 signals a durable framework for deepened strategic and industrial cooperation



        SHAYESTA NISHAT AHMED                                                                                 (DSTL), strengthening cooperation
                                                                                                              in research in advanced technologies.
             rime Minister Narendra Modi                                                                      Later that year, the UK–India Tech-
             and the Prime Minister of the                                                                    nology Security Initiative (TSI) was
        PUnited Kingdom (UK), Keir                                                                            launched, targeting collaboration in
        Starmer, on 24 July 2025, signed the                                                                  critical technologies such as Artificial
        Comprehensive Economic Trade                                                                          Intelligence (AI), quantum comput-
        Agreement (CETA) and launched the                                                                     ing, and semiconductors.
        India-UK Vision 2035 during the visit                                                                     The UK’s ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pa-
        of Prime Minister Modi to London.                                                                     cific (cited in the Integrated Review
        The launch marks a pivotal step in el-                                                                2021 and its 2023 Refresh and India’s
        evating the bilateral Comprehensive                                                                   growing strategic assertiveness pro-
        Strategic Partnership (CSP), under the                                                                vided the impetus for Vision 2035.
        guiding philosophy of BRISK (Busi-                                                                    Preceding markers included the Roy-
        ness, Research, Innovation, Science                                                                   al Navy’s Carrier Strike Group visit
        and Technology, and Knowledge).                                                                       to India in 2021 and the 2+2 Foreign
            The vision has provisions for reg-                                                                and Defence Ministerial Dialogue
        ular Prime Ministerial engagement                                                                     initiation  in  2023.  These  develop-
        and annual implementation reviews   Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, in   ments collectively underscored the
        at the Foreign Minister level. Central                                                                need for a roadmap with binding and
        to this vision is the finalisation of the         London on July 24 (Narendra Modi FB/ANI Photo)      measurable commitments, culminat-
        defence industrial roadmap, aimed                                                                     ing in Vision 2035.
        at fostering joint efforts in co-design,   icy of diversifying defence partner-  passes joint training and operational
        co-development, and co-production   ships. Launching a 10-year Defence  interoperability today. As a result,   DEFENCE DIMENSION OF
        of defence technologies. These col-  Industrial Roadmap aims to deepen  both  countries  have  regular  bilater-  VISION 2035
        laborative efforts are intended to   bilateral cooperation through joint  al  exercises  across  domains:  Ajeya
        meet the growing defence require-  research, technology co-development,  Warrior (Army, since 2005), Konkan   ndia  and  the  UK  launched the
        ments of both nations while also ad-  and  enhanced interoperability.  The  (Navy, since 2004), and Indradhanush   Defence  Partnership–India  (DP-
        dressing global market demands.   roadmap prioritises co-development,  (Air Force, since 2006), which have  II) during the 2025 Aero India
            The growing imperative for Eu-  collaborative research, and innova-  strengthened mutual familiarity in bat-  event, which marked a significant step
        ropean nations to ramp up defence   tion in defence technologies, empha-  talion-level drills, ship manoeuvres,   in institutionalising bilateral defence
        expenditure, particularly in response   sising supply chain resilience, man-  and air-to-air operations. The 2015   cooperation. Building on this frame-
        to  the  Ukrainian  conflict,  has  com-  ufacturing of advanced weapons, jet  Defence and International Security   work, both countries have expanded
        pelled major powers to reassess their   and naval propulsion systems, and im-  Partnership (DISP) institutionalised   collaboration in the Defence Indus-
        strategic alignments  and increase   proved operational readiness across  high-level dialogue and  exchange   trial Roadmap, launched during PM
        their defence expenditure while re-  domains. Against this backdrop, this  mechanisms. Consequently, the 2019   Modi’s 2025 visit to London. The ten-
        ducing overdependence on tradition-  Brief  examines  the  defence dimen-  Memorandum of Understanding   year industrial roadmap establishes
        al partners. This shift coincides with   sion of Vision 2035, situating it with-  (MoU) on Defence Technology and   a time-bound agreement of deeper
        the UK’s broader post-Brexit realign-  in the historical evolution of bilateral  Industrial Capacity Cooperation and   collaborations in ‘jet engine technol-
        ment, whereas India continues to pur-  ties, analysing its key components and  the 2021 Roadmap 2030 underscored   ogies, maritime security, underwater
        sue greater self-reliance and expand   strategic significance, and identifying  defence collaboration as a central   systems and direct energy weapons.’
        its footprint in global defence exports.   the challenges that could affect its im-  pillar of the bilateral partnership.  Rolls-Royce has offered co-pro-
        The National Security Strategy of the   plementation.                   Subsequently,  in  2022,  the  UK   duction and technology transfer under
        UK, released in early 2025, referred                                included India in its Open Gener-  the Jet Engine Advanced Core Tech-
        to the UK’s interest in building a con-  HISTORICAL EVOLUTION       al Export  License  (OGEL)  regime,   nologies (JEACT) initiative, includ-
        crete strategic partnership with India.                             facilitating access to niche and du-  ing full intellectual property sharing
        This was reciprocated by PM Modi       OF INDIA–UK DEFENCE          al-use technologies. By early 2024, a   commitments. This marks a historic
        while  referring  to  India’s  “commit-    COOPERATION              Letter  of  Arrangement (LoA) was   shift toward autonomy in aero-engine
        ment to building a ‘high-scoring solid                              signed between India’s Defence Re-  technologies, complementing India’s
        partnership’” with the UK.              he India–UK defence engage-  search and Development Organisa-  parallel GE F-414 agreement with the
            India’s  growing  engagement        ment is deeply rooted in his-  tion (DRDO) and the UK’s Defence   United States. For India, this diversi-
        with the UK reflects its broader pol- Ttorical linkages and encom-  Science and Technology Laboratory        Continued on next page... >>


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