India-Germany defence collaboration addresses a big security gap at last

By Aritra Banerjee

The third day of the Dubai Airshow 2025 delivered one of the event’s most consequential announcements: a new defence–industrial partnership between Indian and German state-backed companies, centred on co-developing a LiDAR-based Obstacle Avoidance System (OAS) for Indian military helicopters.

The contract between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Germany’s HENSOLDT is understood to be the first major defence-technology transfer between the two countries in nearly three decades. Coming immediately after the India–Germany High Defence Committee meeting in New Delhi, it reflects a substantive deepening of bilateral security cooperation beyond diplomatic signalling.

The OAS programme addresses

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