Indian, UAE Firms Ink Landmark Deal In Boost to BRICS Defence Ties

Leading private companies from India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed a "landmark cooperation agreement" to co-develop and co-produce high-tech defence and aerospace products, an Abu Dhabi-based company said on Tuesday.

The defence and aerospace pact was signed between UAE's Edge Group and India's Adani Aerospace and Defence, a subsidiary of billionaire conglomerate Adani Enterprises.

"The agreement will explore the establishment of Research and Development (R&D) facilities in India and the UAE; the setting up of development, production and maintenance facilities of defence and aerospace solutions to not just serve the two captive markets, but also Southeast Asian and wider global markets," the statement reads.

In addition, the two companies are said to be looking to jointly produce missiles and weapons covering air, ground, infantry, munitions and air defence products, platforms and systems, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS), loitering munitions, counter-drone systems, unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), as well as electronic warfare (EW) and cyber technology.

Hamad Al-Marar, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of EDGE Group, said the deal with Adani Defence was a "significant milestone" for the Emirati company.

He expressed confidence that the deal would strengthen bilateral ties between the Indian defence industry and the development of the two countries' militaries by creating a collaborative platform for implementing the latest technologies and setting "new benchmarks in the global defence landscape".

Over the past decade, however, New Delhi has sought to reduce its dependence on military imports by co-developing and co-producing weapons, weapon systems and spare parts with foreign companies under technology transfer agreements, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to achieve Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence production.

Meanwhile, the authors of the statement noted that India – the world's leading arms importer – is a "strategic market" for the group.

For his part, Ashish Rajvanshi, CEO of Adani Defence, sees the military and aerospace pact as a reflection of a "shared vision" to strengthen both countries' defence capabilities by providing cutting-edge solutions and setting new global benchmarks.

"Our collaboration marks the beginning of a new era in enhancing defence capabilities, emphasizing our commitment to advance technological prowess and promoting bilateral defence cooperation between India and the UAE," Rajvanshi remarked.

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Indian, UAE Firms Ink Landmark Deal, Bolstering BRICS Defence Ties