India, Germany forge landmark defence pact for LiDAR helicopter systems

The OAS pairs HENSOLDT’s SferiSense LiDAR Sensor Head Unit with its Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) computer to deliver real-time situational awareness, synthetic vision and advanced navigation cues. The system is engineered to drastically reduce the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), one of the leading causes of helicopter accidents globally.Under the contract, HAL will manufacture, integrate, supply and support the OAS within India while also receiving export rights, a key enabler for future international business. This positions India among a select group of nations with the sovereign capability to produce LiDAR-based obstacle-avoidance systems for helicopters.This deal reflects the consistent progress in bilateral ties and ongoing Indo-German defence-industrial cooperation.India–Germany High Defence Committee meetingOn Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence said, “The Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the State Secretary, German Ministry of Defence, Jens Plotner reaffirmed commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation with a focus on developing defence ties as a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership between India and Germany.” As reported by , they discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, the MoD added.India and Germany are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership this year. Since 2011, the partnership has been strengthened through inter-governmental consultations at the level of heads of government.The two sides also exchanged views on the regional security situation and discussed intensifying bilateral exchanges, including the institution of military exercises.The militaries of India and Germany have joint exercises planned for the coming year. Germany will participate in the next edition of Exercise Tarang Shakti (a multinational air combat exercise) and Milan (a multinational naval exercise) scheduled for 2026. In August 2024, as earlier reported by TNIE, Germany participated for the first time in an aerial exercise on Indian soil, during which its Eurofighter Typhoon carried out air manoeuvres.



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