Rajnath Singh to travel to UK in July to revitalise security cooperation

Defence and security cooperation is one of the five pillars of the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership and the Roadmap 2030

Published on: Jun 22, 2022, 21:54:55 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh is expected to travel to the UK early next month to revitalise security cooperation between the two countries, including potential collaboration in the joint development of combat aircraft and engines for warships.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh’s UK visit is a follow-up to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trip to India in April for a summit with PM Narendra Modi (HT Photo/Arvind Yadav)

Singh’s visit, which has been in the pipeline for some time, is a follow-up to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s trip to India in April for a summit with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, at which the two sides unveiled an expanded defence partnership that envisaged easier access to British military hardware and technology.

The defence minister is expected to be in the UK from July 4, people familiar with the matter said. Both countries are yet to officially announce the visit. Some agreements on defence cooperation are likely to be signed during the trip and both sides are working to lock down the details, the people said.

Days after Johnson’s visit, UK minister of state for defence procurement Jeremy Quin travelled to New Delhi for talks with Singh on bilateral cooperation in areas such as aviation, shipbuilding and other defence industrial programmes.

The British side is keen to revitalise the defence industrial relationship with India, which has not inked any big-ticket arms deal with the UK since it concluded two contracts in 2004 and 2010 for more than 120 Hawk trainer jet aircraft.

Johnson said after his summit with Modi in April that the two sides agreed on a new and expanded defence and security partnership that will support the “Make in India” initiative. The UK will create an India-specific “Open General Export License”, reduce bureaucracy and slash delivery time for defence procurements.

Areas for future cooperation include partnering on new fighter jet technology and maritime technologies. Defence and security cooperation is one of the five pillars of the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership and the Roadmap 2030.

Among the proposals being discussed by the two sides is the co-development of engines for India’s planned advanced medium combat aircraft and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for warships, the people said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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