UK–India £350 Million Missile Deal Strengthens Defence Trade Ties in Asia-Pacific
In a landmark move during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India, the United Kingdom inked a £350 million (≈ US$468 million) contract to supply India with lightweight multirole missiles. The agreement, announced in Mumbai, signals a deepening of...
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In a landmark move during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to India, the United Kingdom inked a £350 million (≈ US$468 million) contract to supply India with lightweight multirole missiles. The agreement, announced in Mumbai, signals a deepening of defence-industrial collaboration between the two nations, and carries broader significance for trade and security dynamics across the Asia-Pacific.
Under the deal, India’s armed forces will receive the UK-manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM), also known as the “Martlet,” produced by Thales in Northern Ireland. The UK government says the contract will underpin some 700 jobs in Belfast and help lay the foundations for a more expansive “complex weapons partnership” under negotiation between London and New Delhi.
The missile deal was accompanied by a separate £250 million (≈ US$334 million) arrangement to collaborate on electric propulsion systems for naval vessels, emphasising the dual-use and cross-domain ambition in UK–India defence trade.
The LMM (Martlet) is a lightweight, multirole missile capable of air-to-surface, surface-to-air, and surface-to-surface deployment, depending on configuration. It shares lineage with the Starstreak family and is designed to operate with precision, agility, and modularity.
This transaction marks a notable shift in the balance of defence supply chains in the Indo-Pacific. India, long a large arms importer, has in recent years sought to diversify beyond traditional suppliers—particularly Russia—and to deepen ties with Western manufacturers and allies. For the UK, the deal underscores a renewed push to leverage defence exports as a growth sector, reflecting Prime Minister Starmer’s ambitions to revitalise British industry.
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