India and France have announced a series of groundbreaking defence cooperation initiatives, highlighting their commitment to strengthen bilateral ties in the field. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held talks and unveiled several projects, including the joint development of jet and helicopter engines, as well as the construction of three Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.
The two nations expressed their determination to cooperate in the co-development and co-production of advanced defence technologies, with a particular emphasis on benefiting third countries. This decision underscores the growing strategic partnership between India and France.
While there was no mention of India's long-awaited procurement of 26 naval variants of Rafale fighter jets from France, a document outlining a 25-year roadmap to further enhance strategic relations did highlight the "timely delivery" of the 36 Rafale jets that were previously acquired by India for the Indian Air Force.
The document, titled "Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards A Century of India-France Relations," also revealed that an agreement had been reached between India's Mazgon Dockyard Ltd and France's Naval Group for the construction of three additional submarines under the P-75 programme.
In addition to these developments, the document emphasized the willingness of both nations to explore more ambitious projects aimed at enhancing the Indian submarine fleet and its capabilities.
Recognizing their long-standing cooperation in military aviation, which spans over five decades, India and France expressed their satisfaction with the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale jets previously ordered by India. Furthermore, the two countries expressed their intent to extend their groundbreaking defence cooperation to advanced aeronautical technologies, with a focus on supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine.
A roadmap for this particular project is expected to be prepared by Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) by the end of this year.
Additionally, India and France announced their commitment to supporting industrial cooperation for the motorization of heavy-lift helicopters under the Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme, utilizing Safran helicopter engines. A shareholders' agreement has already been concluded between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India, and Safran Helicopter Engine, France, for engine development as part of the IMRH programme.
The document highlighted these collaborative ventures as exemplifying the trust between India and France in sharing and jointly developing critical components and technology building blocks, building upon the successful Indo-French experience in technology transfer.
Furthermore, the document mentioned other instances of defence industrial partnership, such as the contract between Safran Helicopter Engine and HAL for the transfer of technology related to "forging and castings" for the Shakti engine. This demonstrates France's commitment to supporting technology transfer and the "Make in India" initiative.
Another notable example is the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd and Naval Group France, which aims to collaborate in the field of surface ships to meet the requirements of both India and international naval forces.
To further facilitate defence industrial cooperation, both countries are actively working towards adopting a roadmap. In light of the increased collaborations in the defence sector, India is establishing a technical office of the DRDO at the Indian embassy in Paris.
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