On April 9 and 10, Indian President Draupadí Murmúová visited Slovakia. This is a significant milestone in the history of mutual relations, as it is the first official visit by the highest representative of India to Slovakia in 29 years.

The Indian President was accompanied on her foreign trip to Slovakia by Indian businesspeople from various industries, with the aim of deepening cooperation with Slovakia in key areas. One of these areas is defense, in which both countries have taken a significant step forward with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Slovakia and the Indian company Airbornics Defense & Space Pvt Ltd (ADSL), which is the defense division of the JCBL Group.

The Indian media consider the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Slovakia and ADSL in the field of defense to be a key step towards improving the capabilities of the Indian defense industry. According to available information, the memorandum concerns the joint development and production of advanced military technologies for light tanks and armored vehicles, such as turrets, remote-controlled weapon stations, active protection systems, and HMI (Human-Machine Interface) modules. The memorandum of understanding also stipulates that the production of the above-mentioned technologies and systems for ground armored vehicles will take place in India under the supervision of ADSL, which will significantly contribute to the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" or "Self-Reliant India" initiative promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Based on the memorandum of understanding, the role of the Slovak defense industry would consist of technology transfer, support for the development of excellence in the defense industry, and joint technology development with India's ADSL. As stated in a recent interview with the Indian daily The Indian Express, Rastislav Chovanec, Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia, said that the creation of joint defense industry ventures, the joint development of advanced military technologies, and technology transfer are among the main areas of defense in which there is enormous potential for cooperation between the two countries. The two countries already cooperate in pilot training at the Air Force bases of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic and in the field of CBRN. The new memorandum of understanding will strengthen the strategic cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense, which has been ongoing since 1995, and will combine Slovakia's technological know-how with India's strong manufacturing potential.

The signing of a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation between Slovakia and ADSL during the official visit of the Indian president may contribute to the establishment and promotion of Slovak defense industry products in South and Southeast Asia. These markets offer new and interesting business opportunities for the Slovak defense industry. This is evidenced by the success of the Slovak EVA M2 howitzer in a tender for new self-propelled artillery systems for the Malaysian armed forces in October last year. The development of defense cooperation with India could be another important and valuable reference for Slovak arms manufacturing, which has a lot to offer the world. At the same time, it is important to mention that India is investing considerable financial resources in the modernization of its armed forces, where Slovak weapons can also find a place.