What to Expect on the Defence Front as Modi Embarks on Israel Visit, Second Since 2017
By Snehesh Alex Philip | ThePrint | February 25, 2026
As reported by ThePrint on February 25, 2026, ARBEL - the Israeli computerised fire-control system that turns a standard rifle or light machine gun into a precision platform against drones and other moving targets - has been named among the technologies Israel is offering to India for co-production, as part of a broader framework agreement on defence cooperation being signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Israel.
The visit itself is being framed in Indian government circles as a turning point in the bilateral defence relationship rather than a deal-signing exercise. Contrary to the media frenzy that has surrounded the trip, no major procurement contract is expected to be inked. What is being signed is a framework agreement that explicitly enables defence companies on both sides to collaborate at a deeper level - a move sources told ThePrint is intended to "move away from a buyer-seller relationship in defence to actual co-development and co-production." The framework builds on a Memorandum of Understanding signed in November by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, and sits inside a wider strategic shift: Israel, even with European order books filled for the next four to five years, is actively diversifying its defence manufacturing base, and India, with the scale, workforce, and demand to match - is now Tel Aviv's preferred long-term partner. As a senior Indian source put it to ThePrint, "Israel has cutting-edge technology, and India has the ability to scale up manufacturing. It is a win-win situation for both sides."
It is inside that co-production conversation that ARBEL appears. ThePrint describes ARBEL as a computerised system that, once integrated into a weapon, allows a rifle or even a light machine gun to independently fire follow-up shots at a target after the first shot is taken - using the operator's behaviour to determine the optimal moment to release each round, as well as the rate of fire that gives the highest probability of a hit. The system was first integrated onto the NEGEV light machine gun and then onto the ARAD assault rifle, and although it was originally engineered as an anti-drone capability for last-mile defence, the close-in tier where a soldier may have only seconds to engage a small UAS - the system is platform-agnostic at the target end and can be used against any target type. In other words, it is built for the drone fight but applies far beyond it.
The significance of ARBEL appearing on a co-production short list, rather than a straight-import shopping list, is the larger story. India's infantry modernisation pipeline already includes a substantial body of Israeli-origin small-arms work, the NEGEV LMG and the ARAD rifle are both in service or contract - and adding ARBEL to that footprint via local manufacture would extend the technology into Indian production lines rather than treating it as an imported accessory. ThePrint also notes that ARBEL sits alongside more strategic systems on the table during the visit: the Ice Breaker 5th-generation long-range cruise missile, the Sparrow series of air-to-air missiles including the air-launched ballistic Golden Horizon (range approximately 2,000 km), and a portfolio of air defence systems. The grouping signals that close-in, soldier-tier counter-drone capability is now being treated as part of the same strategic conversation as long-range strike and air defence, a reflection of the post-Ukraine reality that the cheap-drone problem is no longer a niche tactical headache but a foundational layer of modern combat.
The next markers worth watching are how quickly the framework agreement translates into named co-production projects, which Israeli systems make the first cut for joint manufacture in India, and whether ARBEL - given its modular, software-driven nature and its relevance to a problem every modern military is now actively trying to solve - becomes one of the early test cases for the new model of partnership.
To read the full article in ThePrint, click here.