How to transform India-EU defence ties for joint action

India-European Union defence and security cooperation, announced at the larger India-EU summit on Tuesday, promises a soaring opportunity for India’s defence industry. The fact remains that it will be effective only when it goes beyond existing co-production tie-ups between India and France and the multi-nation company, Airbus.

The two sides announced a structured partnership in the defence sector, making a transition from periodic dialogues to a comprehensive framework for joint action and industrial collaboration in making military equipment and developing technology.

The defence partnership was signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the EU delegation comprising European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It comes in the backdrop of a public disagreement the US is having with Europe.

Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, who was in India with the EU delegation, hinted at US-Europe tension and mentioned ‘multi-lateral ties’ have changed in modern geo-politics. “Countries want to partner with the EU as we are predictable”, she added.

A test would be access to technology

India will likely judge the EU from the benchmark of India-US ties — the two have opened up to each other in the decades after the end of the Cold War. New Delhi has been buying cutting-edge military equipment - largely planes and copters - from the US. However, co-developing and co-manufacturing with the US is a distant promise.

Europe has always been different. Germany is soon to become a defence industrial partner, the second one after France. The list of French companies working in India include Dassault for making Rafale fighter jets; Naval Group for co-producing Scorpene class submarines; Safran for making/coproducing helicopter engines; and Thales for making avionics in partnership with Samtel.

European companies MBDA, the missile maker has a tie-up in India; Airbus military makes the C-295 in partnership Tata; Saab of Sweden has set up a factory in Haryana. Airbus sources several sub-assemblies for its civil aviation products.

Also India-EU agreed on negotiating a ‘Security of Information Agreement’ - a legal framework to allow the exchange of classified information, a prerequisite for deep-technology defence collaboration.

What is the expected shift

A significant shift is the move toward co-development and co-production of military hardware. India is looking at participation in EU’s ‘permanent structured cooperation’ projects, allowing Indian firms to collaborate on European-led capability development.

The EU has a Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme with a spend of almost 150 billion Euros. Indian firms would be eyeing joint procurement and industrial scaling. A Defence Industry Forum, a new industry-led forum, has been established to facilitate tie-ups between Indian and European private sectors.

Bodhisattwa Sanghapriya, founder and CEO of ‘IG Defence’, who is the co-Chair of industry body FICCI’s ‘Drones Committee’, says “for critical sectors like drones and defence manufacturing, this agreement strengthens India’s ability to build indigenously while integrating with global ecosystems”.

Maritime cooperation will be a significant part of the security relationship, driven by shared interests in keeping sea lines of communication open. The Indian Navy and the EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) have already evolved from conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden to joint patrols.

India assured EU about ties with Russia

The EU as well as some of its member states are sceptical about India-Russia ties, but New Delhi has assured the EU and also its member states that ties with its European partners can and will be independent from that with Moscow.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had yesterday clarified India’s defence ties with Russia would not be impacted by the agreement with the EU. “These two things (India-Russia and India-EU ties) stand on their own and go forward on their own,” he had said.