India’s Covert Arms Pipeline to Myanmar’s Junta: MKU’s Role in Mi-17 Armour Exposed

In a recent revelation that has reignited scrutiny over India’s defence relationship with Myanmar’s military junta, it has been confirmed that MKU Limited, an Indian defence manufacturer, supplied armour protection kits for Mi-17V helicopters used by the Myanmar Air Force. One such helicopter, reportedly operating in combat zones against ethnic armed organisations, was shot down by rebel forces, exposing the Kavro ballistic armour panels. These panels are designed to provide protection up to NIJ Level III – capable of withstanding rifle rounds – raising critical questions about India’s role in enabling the junta’s air campaigns amid ongoing civil conflict.

MKU Limited, is a prominent player in the Indian defence sector specialising in ballistic protection solutions. Its product portfolio includes body armour, ballistic helmets, and platform armour kits for aircraft, naval vessels and land vehicles. The company claims global reach and has supplied equipment to over 230 forces across more than 100 countries. The Mi-17V armour kit, part of its “platform protection” suite, is designed to be lightweight yet provide robust ballistic protection for helicopters in combat environments – a capability evidently transferred to the Tatmadaw, Myanmar’s military. Specifically, the Kavro Aircraft Ballistics were supplied.

India’s defence cooperation with Myanmar has long straddled a delicate balance between strategic necessity and reputational risk. Historically, India has justified its military assistance as a component of regional counter-insurgency cooperation, particularly to secure its troubled northeastern border. However, since the February 2021 coup, which toppled Myanmar’s elected civilian government and triggered a brutal military crackdown, India’s continued defence exports to the junta have come under increasing international condemnation.

According to UN reports and investigations by international watchdogs such as Amnesty International and Justice for Myanmar, India has remained among a handful of countries supplying military hardware to the Tatmadaw in violation of international norms and moral responsibility. These exports include not only small arms and ammunition but also more sophisticated equipment such as radar systems, naval vessels and aerial platforms.

While Western nations have imposed targeted sanctions on the junta and its suppliers, India has taken a more cautious, transactional approach. Analysts argue that this stems from India’s strategic concerns about ceding influence in Myanmar to China, which has aggressively courted the junta with arms deals and infrastructure investments under the Belt and Road Initiative. Yet, this rationale offers little solace to the victims of Tatmadaw air raids and artillery strikes, often directed at civilian populations in ethnic minority areas.

The exposure of Kavro’s armour panels in a rebel-downed Mi-17 serves as a stark symbol of India’s silent complicity in a conflict that has now reached genocidal proportions. It also undermines India’s international standing as a democratic power and responsible regional actor. As pressure mounts, India must reckon with the long-term diplomatic and ethical costs of arming a regime accused of war crimes.

The Indian government has so far neither confirmed nor denied recent defence transfers to Myanmar. However, the visibility of Indian-origin systems on the battlefield makes denial increasingly untenable. In light of this, there are growing calls from civil society and parliamentarians within India for greater transparency in defence exports and stricter adherence to end-user verification protocols.

Myanmar’s civil war is far from over, and the Tatmadaw’s reliance on foreign-supplied equipment will likely continue. India must choose between short-term strategic hedging and the moral imperative to disengage from supplying tools of repression. For now, the armour plating on a downed Mi-17 helicopter tells its own story.

References: This article is based on verified battlefield evidence, open-source intelligence, and analysis from reputable defence watchdogs.

Khaled Ahmed is a defence analyst and contributor to bdmilitary.com, specialising in South Asian military affairs.