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New Delhi, India | March 24:
Anil Chauhan held high-level talks with Harvey Smyth, reinforcing the growing defence partnership between India and the United Kingdom.
The meeting focused on expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in training, intelligence sharing, and strategic defence engagement.
Focus on Training and Intelligence Collaboration
Both sides highlighted the ongoing exchange of instructors as a key pillar of cooperation. They also noted significant progress in strengthening defence intelligence collaboration.
General Chauhan appreciated the successful conduct of the 17th Military Sub Group Meeting and expressed confidence in deeper future engagement.
UK Air Chief’s India Visit
Sir Harvey Smyth is on a three-day official visit to India. The visit reflects the deepening defence ties between the two countries, especially in the air domain.
He began his visit by paying tribute at the National War Memorial in New Delhi. He also reviewed a Guard of Honour presented by the Indian Air Force.
Talks with Indian Air Force Leadership
The UK Air Chief held discussions with Amar Preet Singh. The talks focused on emerging security challenges and enhancing cooperation between the two air forces.
Both sides explored opportunities for joint training, operational exchanges, and strategic collaboration.
Joint Training and Instructor Exchange
Earlier this year, India and the UK signed an agreement to deploy Indian Air Force instructors to UK training bases. Three Qualified Flying Instructors from India will be posted at RAF Valley.
An Indian instructor is already serving at RAF College Cranwell, contributing to pilot training.
Strategic Importance of Partnership
Officials from the British High Commission highlighted that this visit marks the fourth senior-level UK defence visit to India in 2026.
They said the increasing exchanges and multi-domain cooperation reflect strong trust, shared professionalism, and mutual commitment.
The UK Air Chief is also expected to visit Air Force Station Gwalior to understand India’s operational capabilities.
The high-level talks and ongoing exchanges underline the strengthening defence partnership between India and the UK. Both nations aim to build a future-ready collaboration to address evolving security challenges.
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