Belgium and India partner on local 70mm rocket assembly, wave of industry agreements

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever at Hyderabad House in New Delhi during a state visit Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Imtiyaz Khan/Anadolu via Getty Images)

BELFAST — India has struck an agreement with Belgium to locally produce Thales-made 70mm rockets, as part of a wide-ranging series of new industrial pacts signed off by the two nations.

The collection of 10 agreements, which also include ammunition production and naval mine-countermeasure systems teaming, were inked during a working visit to the Asia-Pacific nation by Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, Minister of Defence Theo Francken and 15 Belgian defense companies.

Based on a collaboration between Thales Belgium and Kalyani Strategic Systems, the first 70mm rocket to be produced “entirely” in India, is expected in “early 2027,” said the Belgian defense ministry in a press notice. “The cooperation works both ways: India develops its own production capacity, while Thales gains an additional source of supply for international orders.”

The ministry added that the move will also strengthen European security of rocket supply.

Other key industrial ties include an ammunition production project valued at €50 million ($58 million) between Liège-based machinery manufacturer New Lachaussée and Tembo Classic Engineering in India. New Lachaussée will supply a full production line for two ammunition calibers, alongside tooling for two additional calibers, per the Belgian press notice. Overall, production capacity of approximately 100 million rounds per year is planned, with deliveries scheduled for 2028 and 2029.

Elsewhere, a partnership between Exail Belgium and Larsen & Toubro will see the European firm supply autonomous toolboxes used to detect, identify and neutralize naval mines to the Indian government.

“India is going to order about 12 mine countermeasure vessels, and maybe there’s an upwards potential of 59 of those vessels,” Karel-Jan Senave, deputy chief of cabinet for Belgium’s defense minister, told Breaking Defense. He added that the toolboxes will be built in India. Exail is also under contract to jointly provide the Belgian and Dutch navies with 12 Mine Countermeasure Vessels (MCMVs).

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GA-ASI will build Gambit aircraft in Europe, partnered with European-based companies, with airframes available for international procurement starting in 2027.

Elsewhere, the Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) is in discussions with Kirloskar Oil Engines that could lead to ABC offering its expertise in support of Kirloskar building the first fully Indian-produced 6MV marine diesel engine.

Regarding aviation links, Flemish firm Sol.One and DGVK Enterprises are working together in an effort to introduce an armed quadplane drone designed to attack supply chains known as Saboteur — as well as low-cost drone interceptors dubbed Buzzkill and Hitchhiker — to the Indian market. The Belgian press notice made clear that the Indian armed forces have requested information about the various aircraft and want to test them. “If those tests prove successful, this could quickly lead to a large-scale order,” it added.

In addition to these individual partnerships, a cooperation agreement between the Belgian Security & Defence Industry (BSDI) and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) was also signed. “This will make it easier for our companies to participate in co-development under the Make in India initiative,” declared Brussels.

“The scale is enormous. India is modernising one of the largest armed forces in the world,” Francken said. “For companies whose technology gains access to these programmes, this can quickly translate into major orders and major contracts. The agreement between BSDI and SIDM opens that door.”

Beyond industrial matters, Brussels and New Delhi also signed a Letter of Intent relating to “structural cooperation” between the two sides.

This includes training, exchanges between officers, research and development, joint exercises and maritime security.

Rajnath Singh, India’s defense minister said on X today that multiple MoUs and contracts were signed “towards leveraging Belgian technology together with Indian skill and scale.”

2026年9月3日，印度总理纳伦德拉·莫迪在对比利时进行国事访问期间，在新德里海得拉巴宫会见了比利时首相巴特·德·韦弗。（图片来源：Imtiyaz Khan/Anadolu via Getty Images）

贝尔法斯特——印度与比利时达成协议，将在当地生产泰雷兹公司制造的70毫米火箭。这是两国签署的一系列新的工业协议的一部分。

比利时首相巴特·德·韦弗、国防部长西奥·弗兰肯和15家比利时国防公司在对亚太国家进行工作访问期间签署了10项协议，其中包括弹药生产和海军扫雷系统合作。

比利时国防部在一份新闻稿中表示，基于泰雷兹比利时公司与卡利亚尼战略系统公司合作，印度首枚“完全”自主生产的70毫米火箭预计将于“2027年初”问世。“这种合作是双向的：印度发展了自己的生产能力，而泰雷兹公司则获得了额外的国际订单供应来源。”

该部还补充说，此举还将加强欧洲火箭供应安全。

其他重要的产业合作包括比利时列日机械制造商New Lachaussée与印度Tembo Classic Engineering公司之间价值5000万欧元（约合5800万美元）的弹药生产项目。根据比利时新闻稿，New Lachaussée将提供一条完整的两种口径弹药生产线，以及另外两种口径弹药所需的模具。该项目计划年产能约为1亿发，预计将于2028年和2029年交付。

此外，比利时 Exail 公司与 Larsen & Toubro 公司合作，将向印度政府提供用于探测、识别和清除水雷的自主工具箱。

比利时国防部副部长办公室主任卡雷尔-扬·塞纳夫告诉《防务新闻》：“印度将订购约12艘扫雷舰，而且最终可能订购59艘。”他还补充说，这些扫雷舰将在印度建造。此外，Exail公司也与比利时和荷兰海军签订了联合合同，共同提供12艘扫雷舰。

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通用航空飞机公司（GA-ASI）将与欧洲公司合作，在欧洲生产 Gambit 飞机，从 2027 年开始，飞机机身将面向国际市场进行采购。

另一方面，英比公司 (ABC) 正在与 Kirloskar 石油发动机公司进行磋商，这可能会促使 ABC 提供专业知识，以支持 Kirloskar 制造第一台完全由印度生产的 6MV 船用柴油发动机。

在航空领域，比利时弗拉​​芒公司Sol.One和DGVK Enterprises正携手合作，致力于将一款名为“破坏者”（Saboteur）的武装四翼无人机（旨在攻击供应链）以及两款名为“杀手”（Buzzkill）和“搭便车者”（Hitchhiker）的低成本无人机拦截器引入印度市场。比利时新闻稿明确指出，印度武装部队已要求提供有关这些无人机的信息，并希望进行测试。“如果测试成功，这将很快促成大规模订单，”新闻稿补充道。

除了这些单独的合作关系外，比利时安全与国防工业协会（BSDI）和印度国防制造商协会（SIDM）也签署了合作协议。布鲁塞尔方面表示：“这将使我们两国公司更容易参与‘印度制造’倡议下的联合研发。”

弗兰肯表示：“规模非常庞大。印度正在对其世界上规模最大的武装部队之一进行现代化改造。对于那些技术能够应用于这些项目的公司而言，这可以迅速转化为大订单和大合同。BSDI和SIDM之间的协议为此打开了这扇大门。”

除了工业问题外，布鲁塞尔和新德里还签署了一份关于双方“结构性合作”的意向书。

这包括培训、军官交流、研发、联合演习和海上安全。

印度国防部长拉杰纳特·辛格今天在X上表示，已签署多项谅解备忘录和合同，“旨在将比利时技术与印度的技能和规模相结合”。