The Adani Russia defence partnership is emerging as one of the more notable shifts in India's weapons procurement landscape, with the private conglomerate stepping in as Moscow's preferred commercial partner even as state manufacturers Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited deepen their own ties with Russian original equipment makers. Several contracts have been signed over the past two years, defence sources said, with others in advanced stages of procurement. The common thread across the deals is technology transfer and co-production, in keeping with India's defence acquisition rules.

How the partnership has grown

Adani Defence currently holds partnerships with Israeli drone makers and small arms manufacturers. It is now entering the air defence domain through alliances with Russian companies. Air defence has emerged as a major modernisation requirement for the Indian military in light of the ongoing global conflicts and the growing use of drones, according to reports, and the private sector's entry into the space marks a departure from the state-led model that has long dominated it.

HAL and BDL join the effort

HAL is working closely with Russian partners on an upcoming upgradation programme for the Indian Air Force's fleet of Su-30MKI fighter jets. The bulk of the work will be handled by HAL itself, defence sources said, with Russian firms confined largely to a technical consultancy role.

BDL, meanwhile, is working on a contract to manufacture long-range air-to-air missiles that can be fitted onboard the Su-30MKI fleet as well as the Indian Air Force's MiG-29s. This would be a rare instance of a Russian-origin air-to-air missile being manufactured in India, with technology transfer built into the arrangement, the report added. BDL's expanding order book alongside HAL was flagged earlier this year in a separate Helina launcher and countermeasure systems contract.

The Igla-S contracts behind the Adani Russia defence partnership

Adani Defence has meanwhile focused on air defence weaponry, and the company has been awarded at least six contracts in the past two years for the supply of Igla-S man-portable air defence missiles to the three armed forces. The contracts were signed under two tranches of the Indian military's emergency procurement clause, which allows quick purchases of urgently needed weapons with a cap of Rs 300 crore per contract, defence sources said. All six contracts are for the same type of missile, with Adani signing up Russian company SpecTech LLC for technical collaboration.

A larger Verba deal in the pipeline

Adani Defence is also in the final stages of a larger contract worth Rs 1,800 crore for a more advanced version of the shoulder-fired missile, the 9K333 Verba. The company was nominated for the deal last month, with the procurement being processed as a single vendor contract and an exemption from competitive bidding, according to reports. The plan is to manufacture the missiles in India.

Upcoming requirements from the armed forces run into several thousands of units, which is what the domestic manufacturing plan is designed around. Adani is also in talks with Russian manufacturers for collaboration on more advanced air defence weapons, including the Pantsir system, for co-production in India. This builds on a pattern already visible in the company's role in the missile manufacturing ecosystem it has been building in Madhya Pradesh, and its position as a Development-cum-Production Partner in the AEW&C Mk II mission systems programme, both of which point to a company betting heavily on the missile and mission-systems side of Indian defence manufacturing.

Two Russian proposals without takers

Not every Russian pitch has found favour with the Indian armed forces, even as the wider Adani Russia defence partnership advances on other fronts. The sale and co-production of the Su-57 fighter jet, touted by Moscow as a fifth-generation platform, is one such proposal. The Indian Air Force has instead reiterated its commitment to the Rafale acquisition, followed by the indigenous Advanced Multi Role Combat Aircraft.

A separate proposal still to find takers is the sale of three refurbished EKM class diesel electric submarines to replace the Kilo class boats that are being phased out gradually. Russia's proposal is to refurbish three existing hulls to the latest standards, a plan that has drawn scrutiny. Doubts exist over its actual ability to deliver, given the ongoing war in Ukraine and the strain that conflict has placed on Russia's own defence manufacturing base, according to reports.

The Indian Navy is still awaiting delivery of a Chakra class nuclear attack submarine from Russia, under a deal signed in 2019. That process runs on a separate track from the current wave of Adani, HAL and BDL contracts.

AK-203 rifles and the widening ammunition tie-up

Beyond air defence missiles, Adani has been building out its ties to Russian small arms manufacturing. The company last week inked a long-term deal for the supply of ammunition to Indo-Russia Rifles Private Limited, besides manufacturing parts for the AK-203 rifles that the joint venture assembles for the Indian Army at its Korwa facility in Uttar Pradesh, under the broader oversight of the Ministry of Defence.

Official confirmation on individual contract values has not been made public, and the figures cited here come from defence sources familiar with the procurement process. Background on HAL's own role as the Su-30MKI's licence manufacturer and on BDL's missile production mandate is available on the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited websites respectively.