Rajnath Singh, Guido Crosetto Chart Roadmap For Deeper Defence Ties With Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan 2026-27

India and Italy on Thursday (April 30, 2026) strengthened their defence ties during Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto’s visit to New Delhi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart exchanging a Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan for 2026–27. The plan outlines expanded engagement between the armed forces through joint exercises, training, staff exchanges and operational coordination.

According to the Ministry of Defence, both sides also discussed collaboration in advanced defence technologies and potential joint industrial projects under India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and Italy’s defence cooperation framework.

“Happy to have welcomed my Italian counterpart Mr Guido Crosetto and held extensive talks with him in Delhi today. We discussed a wide range of regional and global issues including the current situation in West Asia. We also discussed the avenues to further develop mutually beneficial defence industrial cooperation under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat programme and Italy’s defence cooperation initiative.” Defence Minister Singh posted on X.

Did India raise any concerns about Pakistan?

A key element of the discussions reportedly was India’s security concern regarding defence technology transfers.

A report in The Hindu citing sources claimed Rajnath Singh raised India’s concerns over transfer of defence technologies to Pakistan. “It was made very clear that India expects sensitive defence technologies not to find their way to Pakistan,” a source told the publication. During the meeting, Singh is also reported to have urged Italy to refrain from sharing sensitive defence technologies with Pakistan.

The Italian side assured that certain defence technologies offered to India would remain exclusive and not be shared with other countries.

How are defence-industrial ties evolving between India and Italy?

Both sides explored avenues to deepen defence-industrial cooperation, particularly in high-end and emerging technologies.

Discussions included potential joint projects aligned with India’s push for indigenous manufacturing and Italy’s defence collaboration initiatives. Italy’s participation in the UK-Japan-Italy Tempest sixth-generation fighter programme is also being closely watched by India, signalling future possibilities for advanced aerospace cooperation.

Maritime cooperation in India-Italy partnership

Maritime security emerged as a central pillar of the discussions. Both countries highlighted convergence as “two ancient maritime nations” and discussed strengthening maritime domain awareness and information sharing through the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram.

This reflects a shared interest in securing critical sea lanes and enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

Parallel engagements between the Indian Coast Guard and an Italian delegation, including representatives from Fincantieri Shipyard, focused on cutting-edge and niche technologies. These include dynamic positioning systems, advanced thrusters, AI-enabled decision support, counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) or anti-drone defence, and next-generation green propulsion.

India’s expanding defence engagement with Europe

In recent months, India has expanded defence engagement with Europe through the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership and bilateral ties with countries such as France and Germany. Cooperation areas include jet engines, fighter aircraft, precision-guided munitions and submarines, placing Italy as an increasingly important partner.

In a post on X, Rajnath Singh shared both leaders discussed “a wide range of regional and global issues, including the current situation in West Asia.” The two Ministers also reaffirmed that the India–Italy Strategic Partnership is anchored in shared values of peace, stability, freedom and mutual respect.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Italian Defence Minister Crosetto paid homage to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial and inspected a tri-service Guard of Honour at the Manekshaw Centre, underscoring the ceremonial and diplomatic significance of the visit.