UAE-India Defence Industry Forum explores co-development, joint production opportunities
Abu Dhabi, Sep 16. The UAE-India Defence Industry Forum began in Abu Dhabi on September 15, bringing together government officials and defence companies from the two countries to explore opportunities for deeper industrial cooperation, including joint manufacturing, research and development and advanced technologies.
The forum was organised by the Tawazun Council for Defence Enablement in collaboration with the Embassy of India in the United Arab Emirates and the Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM).
The event was attended by Tawazun Council Secretary-General Nasser Humaid Al Nuaimi, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Deepak Mittal and AVM Arvind Verma, Vice President (Exports) at Zen Technologies and head of the SIDM delegation. Senior officials from the UAE Ministry of Defence, Embassy of India, EDGE Group and leading defence companies from both countries also participated.
The forum provided a platform for Indian defence companies to present their capabilities, technologies and areas of interest to UAE counterparts. A series of sessions and presentations highlighted the strengths and priorities of India’s defence industry.
Representatives of Indian and UAE companies also held bilateral meetings to explore potential cooperation in manufacturing, R&D, advanced technologies and supply-chain development.
Shareef Hashim Al Hashemi, Director-General of Industry Development at the Tawazun Council, said the forum was intended to translate the strategic relationship between the UAE and India into concrete opportunities for industrial and defence cooperation.
He said the two countries could move beyond the traditional supplier-buyer model towards joint development and production, technology partnerships and more resilient supply chains.
Al Hashemi noted that India’s industrial, engineering and technological capabilities, combined with the UAE’s expanding defence industrial ecosystem, offered opportunities for developing deeper partnerships between companies in the two countries.
Addressing the forum, Ambassador Deepak Mittal highlighted the evolution of India-UAE defence ties from traditional defence diplomacy towards greater industrial collaboration and co-development.
He pointed to the Strategic Defence Partnership Framework established in May 2026, under which the two sides are seeking to align India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative with the UAE’s ‘Make it in the Emirates’ strategy.
The framework is expected to create opportunities for co-development, co-production and greater integration of the two countries’ defence industrial ecosystems.
AVM Arvind Verma said the forum would enable Indian companies to showcase their industrial and technological capabilities while gaining a better understanding of the requirements and priorities of UAE defence companies.
He said direct engagement between companies could help identify new areas of cooperation and build long-term partnerships between the two countries’ defence industries.
