UK and Indian military chiefs are meeting to firm up £350m missile deal

The heads of the UK and Indian military are meeting to discuss a major missile deal, joint training and a shared industrial strategy. The three-day visit by General Anil Chauhan started on 19 April. Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton is hosting his Indian counterpart.

As ever, the arms trade and arms firms are at the center of the visit – though no firm are mentioned by name in the government press release (it’s Thales).

The UK government said:

During their talks, the two military commanders will discuss deepening cooperation across training, operations and defence industry partnerships.

Senior UK civil and military leaders will also interact with General Chauhan during his visit. Representatives of the British defence industry will meet him to progress talks on greater defence co-production between the two countries.

The press release said Chauhan would:

be given a tour of the Royal College of Defence Studies, where he will meet a multinational cohort of students.

The college was at the centre of a scandal on 14 April after emails showed fraught internal discussions about the optics of a government ban on training Israeli officers. College officials fretted that the ban on genocide troops would make them look less committed to ‘diversity’.

The UK and Indian governments are complicit in Israeli’s genocide of the Palestinians. The government has kept secret the nature of the UK-Israel security pact.

The UK also highlighted joint fast-jet pilot training:

In February 2026, the UK and India signed an agreement for the Indian Air Force to deploy three Qualified Flying Instructors to RAF Valley in the UK, the training base for British fast‑jet pilots. Indian officers are embedded as instructors across all three UK service academies.

Missiles for Modi

The UK is currently selling missiles to India. The two countries aim to firm up the £350m contract during this visit. The Canary reported on 9 October 2025 that the arms destined for one former British colony – India – would be made in the capital of a current one: Belfast.

In a press release, the UK government said:

The contract is set to deliver UK-manufactured Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) built in Belfast to the Indian Army, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change in another significant boost for the UK defence industry.

The contract for the LLMs will be fulfilled by Thales, a French firm linked to Israeli drone producer Elbit Systems UK.

Indian and the UK are also accelerating defence industrial cooperation. The government press release confirmed:

The UK and India launched a 10‑year Defence Industrial Roadmap under the Vision 2035 agreement to support growth, strengthen security and contribute to international stability.

Adding:

The UK Ministry of Defence has set up a dedicated programme office, Defence Partnership‑India (DP-I), to drive bilateral defence collaboration.

Both the UK and India are trying to use economic militarism to develop their economies. Commodore Chris Saunders, defence adviser to the British High Commission in India, said both countries wanted:

greater defence industrial collaboration where both UK and India seek to use defence as an ‘Engine for Growth’ and to support India’s route to self-reliance. Exciting times for UK-India defence co-operation!

The UN said on 11 September 2025 that global arms expenditure had increased for the tenth year running. UK arms firms are currently lobbying for their own special government-funded ‘war bank’ to ensure their profits stay healthy.

Growth through war

Starmer wants to achieve economic growth through military spending and arms trade jobs. His ambition was trashed by economist Michael Burke, who pointed out on March 2025:

military spending has one of the lowest ‘employment multipliers’ of all economic categories. It ranks 70th in terms of the employment it generates, out of 100. Health is rated number 1.

Comically, the UK government framed the visit as:

a signal of trust and ambition between the militaries of two global powers.

The UK is many things, but a ‘global’ power is arguably a stretch.

The truth is the UK and India align with the US-Israeli imperialist axis in global politics. Their role in this belligerent capitalist alliance explains their increasing integration – not economic growth to benefit the masses.

Modi’s far-right government backs Israel. Starmer’s centrism aligns perfectly well with Israel too. They both ought to state their commitment to US empire with their chests – and not bore us with platitudes about growth and cooperation.

Featured image via the Canary