New Delhi, Sep 3 (NVI): India and Belgium on Thursday called for deeper defence industrial collaboration, with the two sides pitching for greater co-development and co-production of niche military products to strengthen their armed forces and promote shared security.
Belgian Defence and Foreign Trade Minister Theo Francken and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth made the remarks while addressing the India-Belgium Defence CEOs Roundtable and B2B Meetings in New Delhi.
The event was attended by representatives of Belgian defence companies, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
Francken underlined the potential for greater industrial cooperation between the two countries and stressed the need to strengthen the two militaries through joint efforts amid the evolving security environment.
“United we stand, divided we fall,” he said, while highlighting the growing strategic partnership between India and the European Union and expanding cooperation in areas such as maritime security, information security and aerospace.
Seth urged Belgian defence manufacturers to combine their technological expertise with India’s manufacturing capabilities and scale for co-development and co-production of niche products.
He said India is moving decisively from import dependence towards indigenous defence capabilities, trusted international partnerships and global competitiveness under initiatives such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
“Strategic autonomy is best secured through credible, mutually beneficial international collaboration,” Seth said.
He identified cyber security, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, underwater domain vehicles and complex weapon systems as potential areas for closer India-Belgium cooperation.
Seth also highlighted innovation initiatives such as iDEX and ADITI, which are supporting start-ups and MSMEs working on technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, military communications, anti-drone systems and adaptive camouflage.
India’s defence industrial base now comprises defence public sector undertakings, a growing private sector and more than 16,000 MSMEs, he said, adding that domestic industry is delivering capabilities across aerospace, naval and land platforms, defence electronics, cyber security, space technologies and unmanned systems.
The minister said India has liberalised foreign direct investment in defence up to 74 per cent under the automatic route and up to 100 per cent through the government route to facilitate partnerships in niche technologies.
He also pointed to the defence industrial corridors in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, along with planned corridors in Maharashtra, Assam and other regions, as opportunities for foreign original equipment manufacturers and their Indian partners.
During the event, several MoUs were exchanged to promote cooperation between Belgian technology companies and Indian firms.
The agreements included pacts involving SIDM and the Belgian Security & Defence Industry; Larsen & Toubro with Exail Robotics; Kalyani Strategic Systems with FN Herstal; Tembo Classic Engineering with Lachaussée; India Optel with OIP; Krishna Industries with Pitagone; DGVK Enterprises with Sol1; and Kalyani Strategic Systems with Thales Belgium and Thales India.
The agreements are aimed at strengthening industrial partnerships and facilitating technology cooperation, co-development and co-production in the defence sector.—(NVI)
