Defence Online

India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has made his first official visit to the United Kingdom, hosted by UK Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton across a three-day programme beginning 19 April 2026.

The visit, the fifth senior UK-India military engagement of the year, included direct meetings between General Chauhan and representatives of the British defence industry, with talks focused on advancing defence co-production between the two nations.

The industrial dimension of the visit is significant for UK suppliers and prime contractors. Discussions centred on expanding defence co-production under the framework of the UK-India 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap, established under the Vision 2035 agreement and designed to support economic growth, strengthen bilateral security, and contribute to international stability. The Ministry of Defence has also established a dedicated programme office, Defence Partnership-India, specifically to drive and coordinate bilateral defence collaboration, providing a structured mechanism through which industry engagement can be progressed.

British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron described the visit as a demonstration of the trust and ambition underpinning the UK-India defence partnership, highlighting interoperability, innovation, and a secure Indo-Pacific as shared priorities. Commodore Chris Saunders MBE, Defence Adviser at the British High Commission, noted that both the UK and India regard defence as an engine for growth, and identified defence industrial collaboration as a key area for further development alongside expanded cooperative training programmes.

The visit builds on a series of concrete bilateral commitments made in recent months. In February 2026, the UK and India signed an agreement for the Indian Air Force to deploy three Qualified Flying Instructors to RAF Valley, the training base for British fast-jet pilots, with Indian officers also embedded as instructors across all three UK service academies. In 2025, the two nations conducted their largest-ever maritime exercise, bringing together both Carrier Strike Groups, followed by Exercise Ajeya Warrior in Rajasthan involving the 2nd Royal Gurkha Rifles and the 21 Sikh Regiment.

For UK defence businesses, the trajectory of the bilateral relationship points to a growing pipeline of co-production and co-development opportunities across platforms, training systems, and advanced technologies. Companies seeking to engage with the India market or expand existing partnerships should monitor activity through the Defence Partnership-India office as the roadmap commitments move toward implementation.