Tieup with India can help diversify risks: Rajnath Singh in Germany

New Delhi: Terming partnership to co-develop weapon systems as a long-term strategic proposition, defence minister Rajnath Singh said collaboration between India and Germany can help the latter diversify risks in global supply chains besides creating a unique opportunity given the expanded market, skilled workforce and evolving industrial ecosystem that the former offers.

The minister, currently on a visit to Germany, said there is significant untapped potential under the ReArm Europe and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, and that opportunities are available for co-development of weapon systems.

Speaking at a Defence Investors Summit in Munich, he identified areas for cooperation including advanced radar and sensor technology, multi-sensors, AI-enabled unmanned aerial systems, sonobuoys, and high-power low frequency underwater transmitters. “This is not a short-term opportunity. It is a long-term strategic proposition,” he said.

Inviting German industry to co-develop and co-produce with India, Singh said the country’s pursuit of self-reliance is not inward-looking but about opening new pathways of partnership. “We see self-reliance as the ability to design, develop and produce in India, in collaboration with trusted partners,” he said.

Pitching India as a trusted partner, Singh highlighted several structural reforms undertaken by the government to improve the ease of doing business besides making heavy investments in infrastructure.

“As a market, India’s defence requirements are substantial and will continue to grow in the coming decades,” he said. “As a manufacturing base, we offer cost-effective production, a skilled workforce, and access to a large ecosystem of suppliers.”