Deal to secure 700 jobs at Northern Ireland\u2019s Thales plant producing missiles
\n London
\nBritain announced on Thursday the signing of a \u00a3350 million ($468 million) deal to supply the Indian Army with UK-manufactured lightweight missiles, marking a significant step in the deepening defence and strategic partnership between the two countries.
\nThe announcement came as British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer met his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Mumbai, where both leaders also lauded the growing commercial potential emerging from their recently concluded trade agreement.
\nAccording to a statement issued by the UK government, the contract covers the supply of Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) produced by Thales in Northern Ireland. The deal is expected to secure 700 jobs at the Thales facility, which currently manufactures the same missile system for Ukraine.
\n\u201cThe deal paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the UK and India, currently under negotiation between the two governments,\u201d the statement said.
\nOver the past year, Starmer has made defence exports a key part of his economic growth agenda, pledging to increase defence spending in line with NATO commitments. His government has sought to strengthen Britain\u2019s defence manufacturing sector through major export contracts, including a recent $13.5 billion frigate deal with Norway.
\nBritain also announced a new milestone with India in the field of naval technology, as both sides signed the next phase of a tie-up for electric-powered engines for naval vessels \u2014 an agreement worth an initial \u00a3250 million.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Deal to secure 700 jobs at Northern Ireland\u2019s Thales plant producing missiles London Britain announced on Thursday the signing of a \u00a3350 million ($468 million) deal to supply the Indian Army with UK-manufactured lightweight missiles, marking a significant step in the deepening defence and strategic partnership between the two countries. The announcement came as British […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-507732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n