India has expressed interest in pursuing joint production of Stryker armored infantry combat vehicles with the United States. This was revealed by Indian Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane during a joint media briefing after the 2+2 dialogue between the two countries’ defense and foreign affairs ministers. (In India, the Defense Secretary is a government employee, not a cabinet member; the cabinet member is the Defense Minister, currently Raj Nath Singh)
Aramane stated that an initial U.S. offer for co-production of the Stryker vehicles has been received, and India is interested in discussing it further to advance the co-production component. Discussions are taking place under the roadmap for future India-U.S. defense industrial cooperation concluded in June 2022.
This roadmap aims to accelerate technology cooperation and co-production in critical areas such as air combat, land mobility systems, intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance, munitions, and undersea domains. Aramane said Indian industrial and military teams will work with their American counterparts to formulate a concrete plan for the proposed armored vehicle co-production.
The Stryker vehicles are manufactured by U.S. company General Dynamics Land Systems. Their potential co-production comes as the Indian Army is embarking on a major modernization of its mechanized infantry forces with new combat capabilities.
In addition to the Stryker proposal, Aramane confirmed that proposed deals for joint production in India of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines and the acquisition of next-generation armed drones from the U.S. are also on track.
During the briefing, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated that the U.S. and India are stepping up defense cooperation across multiple domains from space to undersea. The two sides also exchanged views on major regional developments in the Indo-Pacific, Middle East, and the Ukraine conflict.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
