NEW DELHI — At least half a dozen executives from leading Indian arms manufacturers, including Adani Defence and Bharat Forge, attended rare meetings in Russia this year to discuss potential joint ventures and collaborations. The meetings marked the first visit by Indian defence business leaders to Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and had not been previously reported. The Indian government is seeking to re-orient its decades-old defence relationship with Russia toward joint development of weapons systems.
The talks were held on the sidelines of a broader Indian defence-industrial delegation visit to Moscow on October 29-30, led by India’s Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar. The delegation’s trip aimed to lay the groundwork for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s subsequent visit to India on December 4-5. Discussions included plans for manufacturing spares for Russian-origin weapons such as the Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet, as well as proposals for setting up production units in India that could potentially export equipment to Russia.
The meetings brought together executives from major Indian conglomerates, state-owned firms, and startups involved in drones and artificial intelligence for military applications. Bharat Forge, known for producing components for missiles and artillery, discussed sourcing or jointly developing parts for Russian tanks and aircraft, as well as exploring future collaboration on helicopters. Adani Defence and Aerospace was represented by its CEO Ashish Rajvanshi, according to sources, while the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers also participated, representing over 500 arms and military equipment makers.
While Russia remains India’s largest arms supplier, such collaborations risk complicating India’s efforts to jointly develop Western arms and become a global manufacturing hub. Western diplomats have cited India’s defence ties with Russia as a key obstacle to sensitive military technology transfers, given that about 36% of India’s military arsenal is of Russian origin. Indian firms remain cautious about new deals with Russia due to the risk of secondary sanctions, though the government continues to pursue diplomatic outreach to mitigate these risks.