Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh along with the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence, Jens Plötner in New Delhi on November 18, 2025.

India and Germany have taken a decisive step toward deepening their strategic and defence partnership, with both countries outlining an expansive agenda under the India–Germany High Defence Committee (HDC).

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh co-chaired the India-Germany HDC meeting with the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence Jens Plötner, in New Delhi on November 18.

The latest round of talks focused on co-development and co-production of advanced military platforms, expanding joint exercises, and pushing forward major industrial collaborations

They discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development & co-production of defence equipment.

The latest round of talks focused on co-development and co-production of advanced military platforms, expanding joint exercises, and pushing forward major industrial collaborations aimed at strengthening India’s indigenous defence capabilities. The HDC discussions also covered areas such as joint research, emerging military technologies, and supply chain cooperation.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh along with the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence, Jens Plötner co-chaired the India-Germany High Defence Committee meeting, in New Delhi on November 18, 2025.

A major highlight of the discussions was Germany’s confirmation that it will join TARANG SHAKTI, India’s first multinational air combat exercise, and MILAN, the flagship naval gathering. Both exercises are scheduled for 2026 and are expected to showcase high levels of interoperability among participating nations. German participation is being viewed as a strong signal of Berlin’s growing strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific.

The two nations also discussed collaborative frameworks under MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement of Security and Growth Across Regions)

The two nations also discussed collaborative frameworks under MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement of Security and Growth Across Regions), India’s Indo-Pacific maritime initiative aimed at building collective capacity, resilience, and security across the region. Officials said Germany’s involvement would strengthen maritime domain awareness and help promote stability across critical sea lanes.

Progress on Project 75(I) submarine programme

On the military industrial front, India and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) are moving forward with negotiations for building six next-generation conventional submarines for the Indian Navy under Project 75(I). The programme—one of India’s most ambitious under its strategic partnership model—envisions AIP-equipped platforms with high endurance and advanced stealth capabilities.

India and Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) are moving forward with negotiations for building six next-generation conventional submarines for the Indian Navy under Project 75(I).

TKMS is expected to pitch a variant based on its globally proven designs, Type 214 Submarine (Baseline Model), which is known for its fuel-cell-based AIP providing long underwater endurance. As per the reports, TKMS may offer an enhanced, customised variant — Type 218/Type 212CD–Derived Design for India for an increased range and endurance for Indian Ocean operations and improved stealth shaping.

Type 214 Submarine

With a large vertical payload capacity, it could accommodate Indian combat systems and weaponry integration. If concluded, it will make the largest conventional submarine in India, and the deal would mark one of the largest Indo-German defence collaborations to date and significantly boost the Indian Navy’s underwater fleet strength.

The deal would mark one of the largest Indo-German defence collaborations to date and significantly boost the Indian Navy’s underwater fleet strength.

India has been operating the Shishumar-class submarines, which are based on Germany’s Type 209/1500 design, built by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW)—now part of TKMS. Later, INS Shalki (1992) and INS Shankul (1994) were built in India at Mazagon Dock (MDL) with German assistance. This collaboration marked one of India’s earliest successful examples of technology transfer and local submarine construction.

Germany’s proposal for major manufacturing investment

German defence major Rheinmetall has also signalled another industrial engagement in India with Reliance Defence announcing a « strategic partnership » under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on ammunition supplies. The company is preparing to establish a major production facility at the Dhirubhai Ambani Defence City (DADC). According to the reports, there is a proposal to make up to 2,00,000 artillery shells, 10,000 tonnes of explosives and 2,000 tonnes of propellants annually. However, it has not disclosed a timeline for opening or operationalisation.

German defence major Rheinmetall has also signalled another industrial engagement in India with Reliance Defence announcing a « strategic partnership »

In a statement, Rheinmetall said the new site « will make a significant contribution to supplying India’s armed forces » and will play « an important role in realising the Indian government’s vision of achieving defence exports ». If concluded, this investment is expected to contribute towards India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem and potentially support export-oriented production.

As shared by Rheinmetall, « The DADC is being built in the Watad industrial area in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and once completed will be the largest greenfield project in the defence sector ever developed by any private company in India. »

Officials from both sides reaffirmed that the India–Germany defence relationship is transitioning from buyer-seller dynamics toward genuine co-development of complex technologies.

Manish Kumar Jha is a Consulting & Contributing Editor for SP’s Aviation, SP’s Land Forces and SP’s Naval Forces and a security expert. He writes on national security, military technology, strategic affairs & policies.