New Delhi: India and France have adopted a Defence Industrial Roadmap to explore opportunities for the ‘co-design, co-development and co-production’ of military equipment, the two countries announced in a joint statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron sealed a number of agreements on 25 January in Jaipur. The French President was in India as Chief Guest for the Republic Day.
According to the joint statement, the two leaders identified opportunities to work together in the defence sector with a motive of ‘not only fulfilling the defence needs of the Indian armed forces, but also of providing a viable and reliable source of defence supplies to other friendly countries.’
They welcomed the progress in the establishment of the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) for LEAP engines in India by Safran and the plans to add MRO for Rafale engines, a comprehensive helicopter partnership with a JV for IMRH engine between India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Safran, and the Scorpene submarines built in India, including indigenisation.
India and France are collaborating on the fifth-generation fighter jet engine, Shakti, which seeks to power the HAL Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
At the press briefing on 26 January, Indian envoy to France Jawed Ashraf said that discussions were in progress between Safran and Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Aeronautical Development Agency and Gas Turbine Research Establishment for a set of specifications that complies with the India’s future fighter jet requirements.
India is in talks to procure the French Rafale Marine jets for its Navy’s aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. In December last year, the country received price bids for 26 Rafale-M jets and three Scorpene submarines.
Last year in July, India and France sealed a deal for the manufacture of three Scorpenes at Mazagon Docks. Moreover, the two countries also adopted the Horizon 2047.
Macron and Modi now have reaffirmed their vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership under which the two countries decided to build sovereign defence capabilities together, among other things.
The two leaders welcomed the decision of Airbus in partnership with Tata Advanced System to begin the assembly of civilian helicopters in India. The two companies will become the first private sector companies to produce helicopters in India. They have already set up a facility to manufacture the C-295 transport aircraft in Vadodara.
Furthermore, ongoing discussions between DRDO and the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA) are to conclude for an Arrangement MoU in an early timeframe.
Following the Strategic Space Dialogue launched in June 2023 to provide strategic guidance and direction across all aspects of space cooperation, the leaders agreed to take ‘full advantage of the opportunities in the space sector in both countries.’
They welcomed the MoU between NSIL and Arianespace to build a long-term partnership on satellite launch missions as well as the signing of the Letter of Intent on defence space cooperation, the joint statement said.
They also ‘reiterated the strategic significance of cyberspace and welcomed discussions on deeper collaboration on resilient cyber infrastructure’, and spoke about the first India-France cyber security dialogue held early January. Both of them underlined the imperative for effective multi-stakeholder collaboration in Artificial Intelligence,.
The two leaders agreed to convene a special task force on nuclear energy within three months in the framework of the Strategic Dialogue.
Regarding the Israel-Hamas war, they ‘strongly condemned’ the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October. They ‘expressed solidarity with the people of Israel’. Condemning the huge loss of civilian lives, the two leaders emphasised the need to respect international humanitarian law and to create conditions, including through a humanitarian ceasefire, for aid to flow to the affected population in Gaza. They also called for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
A ‘two-state solution’ for the Israelis and Palestinians for lasting peace and stability came up in the parleys. They ‘expressed grave concern’ at the conflict spilling over to the Red Sea and its possible expansion including in the Red Sea, as well as dangers posed by the Houthis to commercial ships.
The spillover has reached even new regions following which the Indian Navy has deployed nearly 10-12 warships near the north and central Arabian Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: India ‘fully prepared & capable’ — Army chief on Chinese challenge along northern border