For decades, India-Israel defense relations were straightforward. Israel possessed military technologies, weapons systems and operational expertise that India wanted, while India offered one of the world's largest defense and weaponry markets. That equation is now changing at warp speed.

India is no longer simply a major customer of Israeli military technology. It is increasingly becoming a manufacturer, joint-venture partner and supplier within Israel's defense-industrial ecosystem.

This transformation extends beyond bilateral relations, connecting Indian industrial capacity more directly to the security architecture of a Middle East already strained by the Gaza war and wider regional confrontation pitting the US and Gulf states against Iran and its proxies.

A July 2026 Amnesty International investigation offers a detailed picture of this shift. Using shipment-level trade data, Amnesty identified at least 2,596 shipments of weapons, ammunition, parts and components from India to Israel between October 7, 2023 and November 30, 2025.

These included at least 390,516 small-arms parts, 564,970 components of explosive ordnance and 298 military-vehicle components. The significance lies less in the numbers than in what they reveal about the changing structure of the relationship.

From arms buyer to industrial partner

India remains one of the world's largest importers of major weapons, even as New Delhi pushes aggressively to localize defense production.

India was the world's second-largest importer of major arms in 2021–25, accounting for 8.2% of global imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Russia supplied 40% of India's imports, France 29% and Israel 15%, the same data shows.

The relationship now is increasingly two-way. Amnesty identified Indian private companies, state-owned enterprises and India-Israel joint ventures supplying Israeli defense manufacturers.

Among them are PLR Systems, involving Adani Defence & Aerospace and Israel Weapon Industries; Alpha Elsec Defence & Aerospace Systems, linked to Elbit Systems; and state-owned Munitions India Limited.

Amnesty traced machine-gun parts, components related to 155mm high-explosive artillery ammunition, warheads for Sky Striker loitering munitions and armored-vehicle components, among others. The rights organization says it excluded shipments likely intended for civilian use and components likely associated with anti-missile defense.

In sum, Israel-India defense cooperation is supporting New Delhi's push for domestic manufacturing, while Indian factories are becoming integrated into Israeli supply chains. The traditional buyer-seller relationship is evolving toward defense-industrial interdependence.