India and Brazil have reinforced their maritime and defence partnership by signing a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding focused on the maintenance of Scorpene-class submarines. The agreement highlights growing alignment between the two navies and defence industries amid broader strategic engagement in maritime domains.
The MoU was signed by the Indian Navy, the Brazilian Navy, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. It emphasizes sharing information on the maintenance and life-cycle support of Scorpene-class submarines and other naval platforms, marking a significant step in formalising technical cooperation between the two countries.
The agreement was concluded during the official visit of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi to Brazil from December 9 to 12, aimed at strengthening India–Brazil maritime ties and reviewing bilateral defence cooperation. During the visit, Admiral Tripathi held discussions with senior Brazilian military and political leaders.
Under the MoU, collaboration will expand in areas such as life-cycle support, logistics, training, experience sharing, and defence research and development. It represents a major milestone in both Navy-to-Navy and industry-to-industry engagement, leveraging operational experience with Scorpene-class submarines operated by both nations.
During his visit, Admiral Tripathi also met Brazil’s Defence Minister, the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Brazilian Armed Forces, and Admiral Marcos Sampaio Olsen, Commander of the Brazilian Navy. Talks covered operational cooperation, training exchanges, hydrographic collaboration, maritime domain awareness, and capacity building. He also engaged senior political leadership to discuss defence industrial cooperation and strategic coordination across the South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions, highlighting India and Brazil’s shared role as prominent voices of the Global South.
