India and UK Establish Joint Working Group on Autonomous and Unmanned Defence Systems at Farnborough Airshow
Summary
India and the United Kingdom have officially inaugurated the India-UK Autonomous Platforms and Uncrewed Systems Working Group at the Farnborough International Air Show 2026, representing a significant milestone in bilateral defence technology collaboration. The industry-led group operates under the UK India Business Council–Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers Joint Working Group framework and directly supports the India-UK Defence Industrial Roadmap, a key component of the broader Vision 2035 partnership. The Working Group is specifically mandated to identify concrete collaboration opportunities, including joint development projects, manufacturing partnerships, supply-chain integration, and technology innovation across aerial, land, and underwater autonomous systems. Leadership of the group will be shared between Dr. Helen Almey of ADS Group on the UK side and Sameer Joshi of NewSpace Research and Technologies on the Indian side, with joint administrative support provided by SIDM and UKIBC. The initiative is intended to serve as a pilot model that could eventually be replicated across other critical defence capability sectors, converting high-level government strategic roadmaps into tangible industrial and technological outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 1. **Strategic Bilateral Framework:** The Working Group is embedded within the Vision 2035 India-UK partnership, signaling long-term institutional commitment to defence technology cooperation beyond a single agreement or project
- 2. **Focus on Next-Generation Warfare Technologies:** By prioritizing autonomous, uncrewed, and underwater systems alongside AI and robotics, both nations are explicitly aligning their industrial collaboration with the evolving nature of modern military operations
- 3. **Industry-Led Approach:** The group's industry-driven structure ensures that collaboration translates into commercially viable and operationally relevant outcomes rather than remaining confined to government-level diplomacy
- 4. **Supply Chain and Co-Production Implications:** Emphasis on manufacturing partnerships and supply-chain integration suggests potential for deeper defence industrial co-production, which could reduce import dependency for India while expanding UK defence export opportunities
- 5. **Scalable Model for Broader Defence Cooperation:** SIDM's characterization of this as a pilot program indicates India and the UK intend to replicate this capability-focused working group model across additional defence sectors, potentially broadening the scope of bilateral defence-industrial integration significantly