New £350m missile deal fires up UK-India defence partnership, creating 700 jobs in Northern Ireland
The UK has signed two major defence agreements with India worth a combined £600 million, deepening strategic ties and supporting hundreds of British jobs, Downing Street has announced.
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A £350 million contract will see Belfast-built air defence missiles supplied to the Indian Army, securing more than 700 jobs in Northern Ireland. The Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), already being manufactured for Ukraine, will now be exported to one of Britain’s most important Indo-Pacific partners.
The deal marks a key step in a wider complex weapons partnership currently being negotiated between London and New Delhi.
At the same time, both nations have signed an Implementing Arrangement to advance collaboration on electric-powered engines for naval ships, worth an initial £250 million. The agreement represents the latest milestone in a growing defence industrial relationship between the two countries.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking during a two-day visit to Mumbai, hailed the agreements as evidence of the “growing strategic partnership” between the UK and India.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the announcements demonstrated how deepening defence collaboration with India could “boost UK business and jobs”.
“As we deepen our defence relationship with India, we will harness the UK defence industry as an engine for growth, securing vital jobs in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK.” he said.
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The announcement coincides with the deployment of the UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by HMS Prince of Wales, which is currently conducting Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy in the Western Indian Ocean.
The four-day exercise involves ships, submarines, and aircraft from both nations, and marks another major engagement under Operation Highmast, the CSG’s eight-month Indo-Pacific deployment.
Following the exercise, UK naval units will visit Mumbai and Goa for further military cooperation, industry engagement, and cultural exchanges.