Highlighting their "deep and long-standing" defense partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday praised the advance in the construction of Scorpene submarines in India.
They also encouraged ongoing talks on large defense partnerships, including missiles, helicopter engines, and jet engines.
After Modi's visit to France, he invited the French Army to consider the Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launch (MBRL) system, pointing out that its possible purchase by France would be a big milestone in Indo-French defense ties, a joint statement said.
In their bilateral discussions, the two leaders discussed the "exceptionally strong and multifaceted" bilateral relationship between India and France, as well as major international and regional issues.
"To further strengthen defense R&D cooperation, both leaders underscored the need to quickly establish an R&D framework through a Technical Arrangement between the Direction Générale de l'Armement (DGA) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)," the statement continued.
The DGA, which is in charge of coordinating armament programmes with industry in France, and the DRDO, India's leading defence R&D organization, will be key drivers of achieving this technology collaboration.
The talks also touched on long-term international challenges and current international affairs, with both leaders vowing to enhance collaboration at regional and multilateral levels.
Their talk went as far as pressing global matters, such as the developing situation in the Middle East and the conflict in Ukraine. They reiterated their common determination to keep a "free, open, inclusive, secure, and peaceful Indo-Pacific region."
Appreciating progress in Scorpene submarine building in India, the leaders praised indigenization efforts, especially the integration of the DRDO-developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system in P75-Scorpene submarines and feasibility studies on integrating the Integrated Combat System (ICS) in future P75-AS submarines.
They also welcomed the commissioning of INS Vagsheer, the sixth and last submarine of the P75 Scorpene-class project, on January 15.
Both countries welcomed the ongoing dialogue on missiles, helicopter engines, and jet engines, as well as the excellent cooperation between India's defense industry and France's Safran group.
Referring to the media in France, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri emphasized priority areas of bilateral cooperation, including defense, space, civil nuclear programs, health, and people-to-people exchanges.
Also, President Macron encouraged India's observer status in the Eurodrone MALE program, led by OCCAR, which is another important step in enhancing Indo-French cooperation in defense equipment projects.
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