India, Russia deepen defence ties with focus on niche technologies

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Andrei Belousov today, emphasised the need to create new opportunities for collaboration between the two countries in niche defence technologies.

A statement from the Ministry of Defence said Singh “stressed on new opportunities for enhancing collaboration between both countries across niche technologies”. He reiterated India’s commitment to strengthening the capacity of its indigenous defence industry, both for domestic production and exports, under the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.

Belousov assured Singh that “both countries are united by many years of friendship and strategic cooperation”, adding that the Russian defence industry is prepared to support India’s drive towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

The meeting took place just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi, ahead of the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin.

Both sides are examining multiple military platforms for cooperation. Russia has offered the fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 fighter jets, while India is seeking the quick upgrade of its existing fleet of 270 Sukhoi-30MKI aircraft. New Delhi also wants Moscow to complete the delivery of the two remaining S-400 air defence missile systems, whose supply has been delayed. The two nations already have a logistics support arrangement that allows their militaries to exchange fuel and spares, and access maintenance facilities, airbases and naval ports.

The defence ministers co-chaired the 22nd session of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military & Military Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) at the Manekshaw Centre in Delhi.

Belousov underlined the depth of the bilateral relationship, rooted in mutual trust. Both sides reaffirmed that India-Russia ties rest on shared principles and mutual respect, the ministry said.

Prior to the meeting, the two ministers laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and paid homage to Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice. Belousov also inspected the ceremonial Tri-service Guard of Honour.

Despite India’s growing security cooperation with western partners through frameworks such as the Quad, Russia remains an indispensable defence ally. More than half of India’s military equipment is of Russian origin. The S-400 air defence system, deployed successfully during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in 2025, further demonstrated the effectiveness of Russian platforms in India’s military architecture.