The United Kingdom has finalized a £350 million ($465 million) defense agreement with India to supply air defense missiles and launchers to the Indian Army. The contract involves the delivery of Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM), manufactured by Thales in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the same systems currently supplied to Ukraine.
The deal marks a major step in strengthening the UK–India defense partnership, complementing ongoing collaboration on naval electric propulsion systems under a separate £250 million ($332 million) agreement. British officials highlighted that the LMM export reinforces strategic cooperation between the two nations while expanding the UK’s defense industrial footprint in South Asia.
The Lightweight Multirole Missile is a short-range precision weapon designed for flexible deployment across air, land, and sea platforms. Weighing approximately 13 kilograms (28.7 pounds), it can strike targets at distances beyond 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) and reach speeds exceeding Mach 1.5 (about 1,850 kilometers or 1,150 miles per hour). The missile employs a laser-guided targeting system to ensure high accuracy while reducing collateral damage in dense combat environments.
The LMM’s modular design allows it to be fired from shoulder-mounted, vehicle-integrated, and naval systems such as the RapidRanger launcher. It can effectively engage light armored vehicles, drones, helicopters, and small boats, providing a multi-domain defensive edge. For maritime missions, the missile can be launched from helicopters or ship-based guns to intercept fast-moving aerial and surface threats.
