India-Israel Technology Cooperation:Looking into top edge technolgies

The foundation of the deal was laid at the sidelines of the COP26 summit when the Indian PM Narendra Modi met his counterpart Naftali Bennett for the first time since the latter took office. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a brief statement stated, “In their first such engagement, the two leaders reviewed our bilateral ties and discussed expanding cooperation in areas of high-technology & innovation” [1].

Israel remains of the advanced technology-driven states, creating innovation and state-of-the-art solutions for the world. In addition to advanced water preservation techniques, highly sophisticated plastic recycling methods and revolutionised systems of agriculture, a major part of the cutting-edge technological innovations occur in the country’s defense industry, making Israel one of the leading export markets in the world. According to the latest data published by Israel’s Defense Ministry, radar and electronic warfare systems (16 percent), communication, intelligence and cyber systems (8 percent) and intelligence, information and cyber systems (5 percent) contributed to the military exports of 2020 [2]. Ranked 8th largest arms exporter, the country’s share increased from 1.9% to 3% in the period 2016-2020, as per a report by SIPRI. Meanwhile, India remains the largest recipient of Israel’s military exports, accounting for 43% of total sales.

Past Agreements

Prior to the meeting between the two prime ministers, India and Israel agreed to form a task force to formulate a comprehensive 10-year roadmap to identify new areas of cooperation [3]. “The two sides reviewed the progress made in the military to military engagements including exercises and industry cooperation. The Co-chairs were also appraised on the progress made by the Sub Working Groups (SWG) on Defence Procurement and Production and Research and Development,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in 2020, India’s International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology (iCreate) and Israel’s Start-Up Nation Central signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aims to bring together Israeli and Indian entrepreneurs and startups to collaborate on innovative projects, as per a statement by the embassy of Israel in India. The former Ambassador of Israel to India, Dr Malka had then said "This agreement is an important milestone in the growing innovation collaboration between Israel and India and stands in line with the visions of the Prime Ministers. Israel has the most startups per capita worldwide, and India is the top innovation destination in Asia."

In 2018, the two countries launched the India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) which involved an annual investment of $4 million from each country for five years, for a total of USD$40 million [4]. With a focus area on healthcare, water, agriculture, energy and information and communication technology (ICT), the Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) is appointed to implement the I4F program in India, while Israel Innovation Authority is the implementing agency in Israel. For mutual benefits, it is crucial to keep the fund up and running.

Since establishing formal ties in 1992, defence cooperation has been a core element of the bilateral ties between the two countries. In the defence sector, India-Israel cooperation goes beyond just bilateral trade of arms and ammunition but are committed to technological advances. Israel’s leading defence manufacturers — Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems — were part of the Aero India 2021, one of Asia’s largest aerospace exhibitions held in Bangalore. While Elbit Systems showcased a variety of equipment including Electronic Warfare (EW), Signal Intelligent (SIGINT), airborne self-protection systems, Rafael displayed air defense systems such as SPYDER, C-Dome and Drone Dome systems along with an advanced 5th generation electro-optically-guided missile system called Spike among other capabilities.

Among other technological systems, Avi Jorisch, an Israeli author and entrepreneur suggested areas like emergency care in the form of mobile ambulances, cocoon bags for storing grains to minimise the use of pesticide and solar water heaters among others to strengthen the Indian-Israeli cooperation [5]. Meanwhile, Indian industry experts believe that bilateral cooperation in technology will provide an impetus to Samarth Udyog Bharat 4.0, a scheme launched for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in India by 2025. India’s Industry 4.0 focus is on utilising Artificial Intelligence, big data science, machine learning, 3D printing, 5G communication, Internet of Things drones, cloud computing, etc. for increasing the efficacy of manufacturing operations and productivity.

Bringing U.S into the Picture

Sameer Patil, Fellow, International Security Studies Programme at the Gateway House put together a list of technologies that have a potential for trilateral cooperation between India, Israel and the U.S [6]. With a focus on military doctrines, Patil advocated for cooperation in UAVs and drones, blockchain, autonomy and robotics, 5G/6G, advanced battery technology and power sources. An interesting recommendation was additive manufacturing which is currently used in the manufacturing of aerospace and naval systems components by the way of 3-D printing. According to Patil, Israel is one of the biggest users of 3D printing and manufactures about 40% of 3D printers worldwide.

“This collaboration also offers opportunities for the Indian IT companies which have done coding for the Indian military, to play a major role. Companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL Technologies can help the Indian military better identify global technological trends and participate in defence innovation,” Patil said.

An editorial in the Times of Israel highlights how the “three tech-savvy democracies can come together to advance their shared technological goals and carve out a first of its kind trilateral defense technology partnership” [7]. The author pushed for establishing a startup corridor involving Tel Aviv, Silicon Valley, and Bengaluru to bring together the existing defense innovation communities located in these geographies.

While the addition of the U.S will definitely be a positive sign for India, bilateral cooperation with Israel needs to take off the drawing board for some real developments. If Israel can provide adequate capital, software solutions and R&D, India too can aid with efficient human resources as well as an enabling environment for the partnership to bloom.

References:

[1]https://mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/34472/prime+ministers+meeting+with+prime+minister+of+israel+on+the+sidelines+of+cop26+in+glasgow+uk

[2]https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-arms-exports-spiked-by-15-percent-in-2020-state-data-shows-1.9864916

[3]https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-israel-adopt-measures-to-strengthen-military-ties/article37240854.ece

[4]https://innovationisrael.org.il/en/fund/i4f-israel-india

[5]https://www.theweek.in/theweek/specials/2021/12/16/israel-has-a-number-of-technologies-worth-exploring-for-the-benefit-of-india-avi-jorisch.html

[6]https://www.gatewayhouse.in/inserting-india-into-us-israel-defence-technology-cooperation/

[7]https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shaping-the-israel-india-us-defense-technology-partnership/

Pic Courstey-Shai Pal at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those fo the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)