Thales LMM Missile.
India-UK Thales Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) Deal: New Delhi, October 9, 2025 — In a significant step toward deepening bilateral defence ties, India has agreed to purchase multi-role missiles manufactured by Thales in the United Kingdom in a £350 million ($468 million) deal, the UK government announced on Saturday.
The agreement, signed during British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s two-day visit to Mumbai, involves the delivery of Thales’ Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), also known as Martlet, to the Indian Army. It marks one of the largest recent UK-India defence contracts and signals a broader push to expand industrial collaboration between the two nations.
According to a statement by the British government, the missile deal “paves the way for a deeper relationship between UK and Indian defence industries,” and forms part of ongoing discussions for a wider partnership on complex weapons systems.
UK Secretary of State for Defence John Healey highlighted the economic and strategic significance of the agreement, stating on social media, “This is how we are making the UK defence industry an engine for growth.”
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Strategic Realignment and Industrial Cooperation
The contract reflects a broader shift in India’s defence procurement strategy as it increasingly diversifies away from Russian suppliers in favour of Western partners. While France, the United States, and Israel have benefited most from this shift, the UK has been seeking a greater share of the Indian defence market.
Despite being the world’s second-largest arms importer, India sourced just over 3% of its defence acquisitions from the UK over the past decade, according to a July report by Chatham House. A 2021 UK-India roadmap included defence and security as key pillars, but tangible progress had remained limited—until now.
In addition to the missile contract, the two countries also agreed to push forward with an industrial collaboration to develop electric propulsion systems for the Indian Navy. The initial value of that deal is pegged at £250 million. This follows a joint statement of intent between their respective defence ministries and signals an emerging focus on sustainable naval capabilities.
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Thales’ Lightweight Multirole Missile.
Missiles Made in Belfast, Jobs Secured in Northern Ireland
Thales’ LMMs are manufactured in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and are designed for both air- and surface-launch against a variety of targets, including unmanned aerial systems and light vehicles. The missile weighs 13 kilograms, has an operational range of over 6 kilometres, and travels at more than 1.5 times the speed of sound.
The UK government stated the deal would secure over 700 jobs in Northern Ireland, adding a domestic economic dimension to the agreement. The Martlet shares some technological lineage with Thales’ Starstreak missile, which India has also recently begun to acquire.
In February, Thales signed a separate agreement with India’s Bharat Dynamics to supply a laser-guided, man-portable air defence system to the Indian Ministry of Defence. That contract included initial deliveries of Starstreak high-velocity missiles.
Notably, the same missile and launcher system India is purchasing is also being supplied to Ukraine, with the UK government having placed a £1.6 billion order for over 5,000 LMMs earlier this year for Kyiv’s defence.
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Thales LMM Missile.
A New Chapter in UK-India Defence Relations
The new agreements underscore the UK’s intent to become a more prominent defence partner for India amid a rapidly evolving regional security environment. For India, the deals reflect both strategic realignment and a focus on technological advancement, particularly in areas such as naval propulsion and high-velocity missile systems.
As both nations navigate new geopolitical realities, the recent deals could mark the beginning of a more robust defence relationship, underpinned by industrial collaboration and shared security interests in the Indo-Pacific.
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