India and UK to ink pact, develop propulsion systems for Navy

India and UK to ink pact, develop propulsion systems for Navy A second agreement between the two will see the procurement of British Lightweight Multirole Missiles for the Indian Army.

Key points

• 4 min read New Delhi Aug 27, 2026 05: 12 AM IST.
• The missiles weigh 13kg, have an range of over 6 km and a velocity of Mach 1.5.
• The announcement was created during former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's India visit.
• The India-UK joint statement, issued in October 2025, stated that both sides have agreed to proceed via the government-to-government route on an initial supply of LMM systems.
• The signing of the order will create India one of the largest customers of the missile.

Meanwhile, the signing of the order will create India one of the largest customers of the missile.

India and the UK are "very soon" poised to sign an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) aimed at developing maritime electric propulsion systems for four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) for the Indian Navy, British authorities stated Wednesday.

They additionally indicated that a second inter-governmental agreement between the countries is due to be inked shortly for the procurement of British Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) for the Indian Army.

Responding to a question from The Indian Express, a top British official remarked an IGA for the maritime electric propulsion system for four LPDs will be signed "very shortly".

As part of the collaboration, GE Vernova and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd will establish India's first maritime Land-Based Testing Facility to backing the development of the Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP) system.

Indian warships at present do not have electric propulsion systems. They are at present powered by diesel engines, gas turbines or steam turbines. The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers of the UK Royal Navy are integrated full electric propulsion vessels.

For context, the electric propulsion capability is meant to power bigger warships of the Indian Navy, with a displacement of over 6, 000 tonnes and will be first tested on Landing Platform Docks.

In practice, a joint statement issued by both countries in November last year highlighted the intent to finalise the IGA for maritime electric propulsion systems.

According to The official quoted above, negotiations and working groups have been ongoing and have been productive, adding that both sides have additionally been in discussions over India's naval fleet modernisation programme, which will additionally include retrofitting of certain legacy ships with electric propulsion systems, aside from looking at other modern warships of the Indian Navy.

In practice, a Statement of Intent (SoI) on Cooperation on Design and Development of Electric Propulsion Systems for the Indian Navy was signed by India and the UK in Portsmouth on 28 November, 2024, during the third session of the Joint Working Group on Electric Propulsion Capability Partnership.

In practice, a administration statement at the time mentioned that the SoI provided a framework for cooperation in the co-design, co-creation and co-production of electric-propulsion capabilities for future Indian vessels.

When both sides had signed a 350-million-pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian Army with the missiles, on the accord for LMMs, British office-holders noted hundreds are set to be procured by India – as compared to October.

In practice, the announcement was created during former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's India visit.

Meanwhile, the India-UK joint statement, issued in October 2025, stated that both sides have agreed to proceed via the government-to-government route on an initial supply of LMM systems. "This will further support India's air defence capabilities and, in the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat, meet the current and future requirements of the Indian Ministry of Defence, and support a long-term collaboration on complex weapons between the two countries, " it had stated.

According to Thales UK, the LMMs are equipped with a triple-effect warhead and proximity fuse, and thus respond to various threats like light-armoured, wheeled and tracked vehicles or aerial platforms.

Meanwhile, the missiles weigh 13kg, have an range of over 6 km and a velocity of Mach 1.5.

They can address various surface threats, from vehicles to static installations and provide surface-to-air capability targeting UAS and helicopters. It can provide particularly fast re-engagement and fire-on-the-move capability, and is available on shoulder launch, tripod and vehicle configurations, Thales stated.

Taken together, the developments around india and UK to ink pact, develop propulsion systems for Navy point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.