India inks Rs 4136 crore deal with UK to buy missiles supplied to Ukraine to deter Russian attacks

New Delhi: India has signed a Rs 4,136 crore agreement with the United Kingdom to procure Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LLMs) for its armed forces. These are the same missiles being manufactured in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for Ukraine’s air-defence against Russian operations.

New Delhi and London also agreed to finalize an inter-governmental agreement, initially worth Rs 2,956 crore, for UK support in developing electric propulsion systems for deployment on Indian Navy platforms.

The government-to-government deal for LLMs was announced as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Mumbai on Thursday.

The LLMs will strengthen India’s ability to deter missile and drone attacks, such as those repulsed during the May 7–10 cross-border flare-up with Pakistan. The missiles will also support India’s air defence capabilities and long-term collaboration with the UK on advanced weapons, while contributing to the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative.

The missiles will be produced at the Thales Group facility in Belfast. Thales, headquartered in Paris, has multiple manufacturing sites across Europe.

In September 2024, the UK had awarded Thales a £162 million contract to produce 650 LLMs for Ukraine, followed by a £1.6 billion contract for 5,000 more. The missiles and launchers manufactured for India will be identical to those supplied to Ukraine.

Each missile weighs 13 kg, has a range of over 6 km, a speed exceeding Mach 1.5, and features a precision laser beam riding guidance system to minimize collateral damage.

The deal is expected to secure over 700 jobs in Northern Ireland. The UK Ministry of Defence noted that this agreement “paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the UK and India,” which is currently under negotiation.

India and the UK had previously agreed on a 10-year roadmap for defence industrial cooperation during Modi and Starmer’s July 24 meeting in London.

“We are moving towards defence co-production and connecting the defence industries of both countries,” Modi said after the meeting. Starmer described the LLM deal as “an example of the growing strategic partnership” between India and the UK.