India and Russia Review Defence Ties, Plan More Joint Production of Military Equipment

India and Russia have reviewed their India Russia defence cooperation and talked about new ways to jointly develop and produce defence equipment. The talks took place at the 24th Working Group meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation, held in New Delhi on Thursday, 8 October 2026.

Who led the talks

The opening session was co-chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), from the Indian side, and Andrey A. Boytsov, First Deputy Director of the FSMTC, from the Russian side. The FSMTC, or Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, is the Russian government body that handles defence trade and partnerships with other countries. Senior officials from both countries also took part.

What was discussed

In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence said the two sides reviewed their existing military technical cooperation and discussed new co-production and co-development projects. The ministry said the aim was “to further cement the India - Russia Strategic Partnership in Defence.”

Co-production means building equipment together, often in India. Co-development means designing new systems jointly from the start. No new agreements, equipment names or deadlines were shared after the meeting.

What is this commission?

The India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation, often called the IRIGC-M&MTC, is the main platform the two countries use to manage their defence relationship. At the top level, it is chaired by the defence ministers of both countries. Working groups like the one that met in New Delhi handle the detailed work. That includes tracking ongoing projects, sorting out supply issues and exploring new areas of partnership.

A long defence partnership

Russia has been one of India’s most important defence partners for decades. A large share of the equipment used by the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force is of Russian or Soviet origin.

Over the years, the two countries have moved from a simple buyer-seller relationship towards joint defence production. Some well-known examples include:

• BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, developed by a joint venture between India’s DRDO and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya

• Su-30MKI fighter jets, built under licence by HAL in Nashik

• T-90 tanks, produced under licence at the Heavy Vehicles Factory in Avadi, Tamil Nadu

• AK-203 assault rifles, made by the Indo-Russia Rifles joint venture at Korwa in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh

Talks on co-production fit well with India’s push for self-reliance in defence, because making equipment within the country cuts import costs and builds local skills.

Other recent military contacts

The New Delhi meeting comes after a series of high-level visits between the two militaries.

From 27 September to 1 October, a six-member Russian Navy delegation led by Captain 1st Rank Sergei V. Saitov visited the Southern Naval Command and the Indian Naval Academy in Kerala. The team studied how the Indian Navy trains its personnel and looked at its training facilities. According to the Indian Navy, the two sides discussed ways to deepen maritime cooperation and improve their ability to work together at sea.

Last month, Indian Army chief General Dhiraj Seth made a three-day official visit to Russia. It was the first visit to Russia by an Indian Army chief in eight years. During the trip, he met Russian Deputy Defence Minister General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces. According to the Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI), their talks covered joint capability development, training exchanges, sharing of operational experience and Army-to-Army cooperation.

Why this matters

Together, the working group meeting and the recent visits show that India and Russia want to keep their defence ties strong. The focus is shifting from buying ready-made equipment to building and developing it together. For India, this means more production at home, better access to technology and a steady supply of spares for the Russian-origin equipment its forces already use.

More details on specific projects are likely to come out when the full commission meets at the ministerial level. For now, the latest round of talks shows that the long-standing India Russia defence cooperation remains an important part of India’s security planning.