From light tanks to MCMV vessels, drones and sensors, India and Belgium deepening defence cooperation: Belgian Defence Minister

NEW DELHI: India and Belgium are expanding defence cooperation across a range of areas, including light tanks, mine countermeasure vessels, drones, sensor technology, weapons and munitions, Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said, highlighting growing opportunities for co-production between the two countries.

Francken said that India and Belgium were already working together on several defence projects and indicated that further cooperation could follow. “We’re working together on a lot of subjects already. We are working on the light tanks for the mountain area. We are working on the MCMV vessels, counter-mine laying vessels. We’re working on drones; we’re working on sensor technology and weapons. We are working together, and more to follow”, Francken said.

#WATCH | Delhi | On India-Belgium defence cooperation, Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken says, “Together with India, we are on concrete deeds and concrete projects. We signed eight contracts to work together on better co-production of defence equipment and to better… pic.twitter.com/Z7Ui4yd2rW

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Speaking to reporters here, Francken further stated that the cooperation covered light tanks for mountain areas, mine countermeasure vessels for the Indian Navy, drones, sensors, handguns and munitions.

“We are working on light tanks for the mountain areas, mine countermeasure vessels for the Indian Navy, drones, sensors, handguns, and munitions. A lot of co-production for Indian workers in India, for Belgian workers in Belgium. Of course, it is a win-win situation for Belgium and India,” he added.

The comments came as India and Belgium stepped up efforts to deepen defence industrial collaboration, with both sides focusing on co-development and co-production of defence technologies and equipment.

At the India-Belgium Defence CEOs Roundtable and B2B Meetings earlier today, Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence, Sanjay Seth, called on Belgian defence manufacturers to combine their technological expertise with India’s manufacturing scale for the co-development and co-production of niche defence products. The event was attended by representatives of Belgian industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers.

#WATCH | Delhi: Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken says, “… I am coming from Japan, and I have to say, the Minister of Defence of Japan was here last week. He asked me to give you all his warm greetings. He sent me a message this morning: “Don’t forget to give my warm… https://t.co/G1r56Gu1xb pic.twitter.com/YYK1NPf3AR

— ANI (@ANI) September 3, 2026

According to the Ministry of Defence, Francken highlighted the growing strategic partnership between India and the European Union, including developing dialogue structures in areas such as maritime security, information security and aerospace. He also underlined the need for India and Belgium to work together to strengthen their militaries amid the evolving security environment. “United we stand, divided we fall,” Francken said, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Seth, meanwhile, highlighted India’s transition from import dependence towards indigenous defence capabilities, trusted international partnerships and greater global competitiveness through initiatives such as Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India.

“This transformation is outward-facing. Strategic autonomy is best secured through credible, mutually beneficial international collaboration,” Seth said. He identified several areas with potential for greater bilateral cooperation, including cyber security, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, underwater domain vehicles and complex weapon systems.

Seth also said innovation platforms such as iDEX and ADITI were bringing Indian start-ups and MSMEs into areas including AI, quantum technologies, military communications, anti-drone systems and adaptive camouflage, creating avenues for bilateral research and development and industrialisation.

The MoS further pointed to India’s expanding defence industrial base, comprising Defence Public Sector Units, a growing private sector and more than 16,000 MSMEs. He said Indian industry was developing capabilities across aerospace, naval and land platforms, defence electronics, cyber security, space technologies and unmanned systems.

India has also liberalised foreign direct investment in defence, allowing up to 74 per cent under the automatic route and up to 100 per cent through the government route to facilitate partnerships in niche technologies, Seth said.

During the Defence CEOs Roundtable, multiple MoUs were exchanged to leverage Belgian technology with Indian skill and scale. The agreements involved the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers and Belgian Security & Defence Industry, as well as partnerships involving Indian and Belgian companies across defence manufacturing and technology.

These included agreements involving Larsen & Toubro with Exail Robotics, Kalyani Strategic Systems with FN Herstal, Tembo Classic Engineering with Lachaussée, India Optel with OIP, Krishna Industries with Pitagone, DGVK Enterprises with Sol1, and Kalyani Strategic Systems with Thales Belgium and Thales India.

The expanding cooperation comes amid a broader push by both countries to build stronger defence industrial links through technology partnerships, co-development and co-production, with the two sides seeking to leverage complementary capabilities for their respective defence needs. (ANI)