India & Australia Ink New Era of Defence Co-Production

India and Australia have agreed to initiate the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply of defence articles and services, marking a significant step toward deeper defence industrial cooperation, including co-production and co-development of military systems.

The announcement came after the second India-Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, held between Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles. The two sides reviewed progress since their inaugural meeting in October 2025 and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral strategic and defence ties.

Both countries also welcomed efforts to renew and expand the Joint Declaration on Defence and Security Cooperation and agreed to further engagement through the Joint Working Group on Defence Industry, Research, and Material. Maritime security emerged as a key focus area of the discussions.

The two nations agreed to advance joint initiatives in maritime domain awareness, including the use of maritime patrol aircraft, strengthen undersea domain awareness capabilities, and accelerate progress on the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.