New Delhi: India and Russia have agreed to take a new step in their long defence partnership by starting the production of spare parts for Russian weapons and military equipment in India. The decision was made during the India Russia Annual Summit held in New Delhi this week.
The new cooperation model will allow India to manufacture spare parts and components locally with technology support from Russia. This is expected to reduce delays in maintenance of defence systems that India has been using for many years. Russian origin equipment forms a large part of India’s defence inventory including aircraft tanks and missile systems.
Officials said that the plan is not limited to domestic use. India may also export these parts to other friendly countries that use similar defence systems. Both sides described this as a shift from a buyer seller relationship to joint development and production.
During the summit leaders also discussed broader cooperation beyond defence. Both countries agreed to deepen collaboration in the space sector through their space agencies. Talks included joint work on technology exchange training opportunities and future space missions.
The meeting also covered areas like trade energy and scientific research. Both sides said the partnership aims to support long term strategic cooperation and strengthen economic and security ties.
The new defence and space agreements are seen as part of a larger plan to increase regional stability and build stronger technical capabilities in both nations.