Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to visit Berlin on Tuesday for a three-day visit aimed at cementing a new era of military partnership with Germany. The primary focus of the trip is the finalisation of a bilateral defence industrial roadmap, a strategic framework designed to move the two nations beyond a simple buyer-seller relationship and towards the joint development and production of sophisticated military hardware.
During his stay, Singh will engage in extensive discussions with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius. According to the Defence Ministry, the agenda is broad, covering everything from traditional military-to-military engagements to cooperation in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, and drone technology. Observers expect the two ministers to oversee the signing of the industrial roadmap alongside a fresh agreement on training for UN Peacekeeping operations.
One of the most anticipated outcomes of the visit involves the Indian Navy’s quest for six new stealth submarines. Negotiations have been ongoing between the German firm ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders for a deal worth approximately five billion euros. If finalised, this would represent one of the most significant "Make in India" projects to date, further solidifying Germany’s shift towards easing export controls and expediting military sales to New Delhi.
This visit is particularly noteworthy as it ends a seven-year hiatus since an Indian defence minister last travelled to Germany; the previous trip was undertaken by Nirmala Sitharaman in early 2019. Following Pistorius’s own visit to India last June, Singh’s arrival in Berlin suggests a sustained momentum in ties. Beyond government meetings, Singh is also expected to lobby German industry leaders directly, pitching the advantages of co-production and inviting further investment into India’s domestic defence manufacturing sector.
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