As India celebrates its Independence Day, it does so as a nation whose influence increasingly extends far beyond its borders. Today, India is helping shape the future of the global economy, steering technological innovation and emerging as a leading voice on the international stage. Its rise reflects decades of vision, resilience and investment in people, industry and innovation. In doing so, India is helping define global leadership in the 21st century.
Over the past decade, India has undergone a profound geopolitical and economic transformation, evolving from a regionally focused power into a proactive, agenda-setting global actor. Guided by a doctrine of confident realism and strategic multi-alignment, India has systematically leveraged a network of comprehensive strategic partnerships to advance its national interests while simultaneously shaping the norms, institutions, and rules of the emerging international order. Through a calibrated blend of economic diplomacy, defence cooperation, and multilateral engagement, India has positioned itself not merely as a participant in global affairs, but as an influential stakeholder.
For Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), this journey has never been viewed from a distance. For more than four decades, we have been honoured to stand alongside India as a trusted strategic partner. Together, we built an enduring relationship founded on mutual trust, shared values and common conviction that technological innovation is among the most powerful drivers of national strength, security, and progress.
Moving beyond mere military modernisation, India and Israel have built a domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem through major mutual programmes, drastically boosting production and enabling indigenous technology transfer. Over the years, our partnership has evolved far beyond the traditional customer-supplier relationship. Today, it’s defined by co-development, local manufacturing, technology transfer, collaborative research, and a shared commitment to building enduring capabilities. This evolution reflects a broader shift taking place across the global defence industry, where enduring partnerships are measured not only by the technologies delivered but also by the knowledge shared, industries strengthened and capabilities created together. In this new paradigm, our long-term collaboration creates a lasting value that extends far beyond individual programmes.
India and Israel have built a domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem through mutual programmes. Bilateral partnership has evolved far beyond the traditional customer-supplier relationship. Today, it’s defined by co-development, local manufacturing, technology transfer, collaborative research, and a shared commitment to building enduring capabilities
The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) programme is a premier example of deep defence integration, providing India with a cutting-edge network capable of neutralising complex aerial threats. Developed jointly with India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced locally alongside Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), the programme has contributed greatly to India’s air defence architecture and is a model for strategic industrial cooperation.
Yet the significance of this partnership extends well beyond a single platform. Together with India’s defence establishment and industrial partners, we have built a robust ecosystem encompassing advanced radar technologies, airborne early warning systems, unmanned aerial systems, loitering munitions and mission aircraft tailored to India’s operational requirements. Equally important, these collaborations have helped cultivate local expertise, strengthen manufacturing capabilities and support India’s long-term vision of self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
Investing in India’s industrial sector and human capital is essential for building a resilient, self-reliant economy. This long-term strategy focuses on developing advanced infrastructure while simultaneously upgrading the technical skills of the workforce. This commitment is reflected in our growing presence across the country. Through our subsidiaries and joint ventures, including Aerospace Services India (ASI), HELA Systems, BEL IAI Aerosystems (BIA), ELT-X, IAI India and ELCOM, we continue to invest in local manufacturing, maintenance, engineering and lifecycle support. These companies represent more than operational facilities.
India’s emergence as a global power is inseparable from its growing technological leadership. Across every sector: from artificial intelligence and space technologies to advanced manufacturing and digital innovation – the country is demonstrating an extraordinary capacity to transform ideas into capabilities with global impact. This momentum is not only accelerating economic growth but also strengthening national resilience, strategic autonomy, and India’s position as a leading force in shaping the technologies of the future.
The Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) programme is a premier example of deep defence integration, providing India with a cutting-edge network capable of neutralising complex aerial threats. Developed jointly with DRDO and produced locally alongside BEL and BDL, the programme has contributed greatly to India’s air defence architecture
At IAI, we believe that the next generation of breakthrough technologies will increasingly be developed through international collaboration. This conviction lies at the heart of our NeuSPHERE Innovation Acceleration Programme in India, which connects Israeli expertise with India’s vibrant startup ecosystem. By supporting deep-technology entrepreneurs with mentorship, testing opportunities and access to global markets, NeuSPHERE reflects our belief that innovation flourishes when diverse ideas and shared ambitions come together.
The future is no longer defined solely by the export of technology — it is shaped by the ability to innovate together. India’s technological advancement carries profound economic significance, extending far beyond capability development alone. A strong domestic defence industry creates high-skilled jobs, strengthens supply chains, accelerates research and development, and opens new export opportunities that contribute to sustainable economic growth.
These outcomes are at the heart of the ‘Make in India’ initiative and closely align with IAI’s long-term vision of building local capabilities, fostering industrial partnerships, and driving shared innovation. By working together, we create a resilient ecosystem that not only advances technological excellence but also delivers lasting economic and strategic value.
With a global workforce of more than 15,000 employees, approximately half of them engineers, IAI acknowledges that technological leadership depends on investing in its people. India possesses one of the world’s deepest reservoirs of engineering talent, an increasingly sophisticated industrial ecosystem and an entrepreneurial culture capable of driving the next wave of global innovation. We see tremendous opportunity to deepen our collaboration with Indian industry, academia and research institutions as we work together to develop technologies that not only address India’s evolving needs but also create value for partners and customers around the world.
At IAI, we believe that the next generation of breakthrough technologies will increasingly be developed through international collaboration. This conviction lies at the heart of our NeuSPHERE Innovation Acceleration Programme in India, which connects Israeli expertise with India’s vibrant startup ecosystem
The strategic partnership between India and Israel also carries an important diplomatic dimension. Our relationship demonstrates how nations with shared values can work together to address increasingly complex global challenges through trust, innovation and mutual respect. At the same time, when geopolitical uncertainty continues to reshape the international landscape, partnerships built on long-term commitment and shared purpose become even more valuable. India and Israel have shown that enduring collaboration can deliver not only economic and technological progress, but also greater resilience, stability, and prosperity for both nations and the broader international community.
This is especially true in defence and security, where technological superiority is essential not only for protecting borders, but also for preserving stability and deterring conflict. Both of our nations understand these realities. Our cooperation has consistently been guided by a shared objective: to provide advanced, reliable capabilities that safeguard our citizens and contribute to a safer and more stable future for the region and beyond.
As Chairman of the Board of IAI, I am confident that our strongest achievements still lie ahead. The next chapter of our partnership will be defined not only by technological breakthroughs, but by an even deeper spirit of collaboration: expanding industrial cooperation, advancing joint research, and sharing a common vision for the future of defence innovation. Together, we are building a foundation that will shape the next generation of capabilities, strengthen strategic ties, and deliver meaningful impact for years to come.
India’s transition from an emerging power to a true global power is unfolding before the world. At IAI, we are proud to contribute to this remarkable journey. We remain committed to standing beside India as a trusted partner dedicated to strengthening India’s security, advancing its technological leadership, and supporting its rise on the global stage
India’s transition from an emerging power to a true global power is no longer a distant aspiration; it’s a reality unfolding before the world. At IAI, we are proud to contribute to this remarkable journey. We remain committed to standing beside India not simply as a technology provider but as a trusted partner dedicated to strengthening its security, advancing its technological leadership and supporting its continued rise on the global stage. Together, we look to the future with confidence, building on a partnership founded on trust, shared values, and a common vision for progress. The opportunities before us are immense, and we are confident that the next chapter of the India-Israel cooperation will be even more ambitious, impactful, and transformative.
Recent years have demonstrated that the India-Israel partnership continues to evolve in both depth and ambition. What began as a strong defence relationship has expanded into a broader strategic collaboration spanning advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, space technologies, cyber security, unmanned systems, and innovation. As India accelerates its vision of self-reliance in defence and high technology, and as our two nations deepen industrial and research collaboration, we see tremendous opportunities to co-develop next-generation capabilities in India, for India, and for partners around the world.
On this Independence Day, I extend my warmest congratulations to the people of India. Together, I am confident that our partnership will continue to demonstrate what visionary collaboration can achieve and help shape a safer, more innovative and more prosperous future for generations to come.
The writer is Chairman of the Board of IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries), a world-leading aerospace and defence company innovating and delivering cutting-edge technologies in space, air, land, naval and homeland security for defence and commercial markets. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
