New Delhi: India and France have agreed to collaborate for the joint development of a combat aircraft engine that will power the indigenous fifth-generation fighter jet called the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and possibly a naval aircraft. The agreement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris this week.
The engine programme is part of the Horizon 2047 document for India-France strategic partnership that was released Friday after talks held between Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Modi was on a two-day visit to France starting Thursday.
The roadmap sets the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s Independence, the centenary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership.
Both countries are also working towards adopting a roadmap on defence industrial cooperation.
Outlining the roadmap to extend what the document termed as existing “ground-breaking defence cooperation” in advanced aeronautical technologies, it stated that the objective will be achieved “by supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine”.
It added that a roadmap for this project will be prepared between French firm Safran and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) before the end of this year. In view of the uptick in defence industrial collaborations between the two countries, India is setting up a Technical Office of the DRDO at its Embassy in Paris.
ThePrint was the first to report that jet engine cooperation will be one of the key outcomes of Modi’s visit to France.
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Other areas of cooperation
While India is going with the US to manufacture GE F414 engines in India to power the Tejas Mk 2 aircraft, the focus now is to jointly develop a more powerful engine to power AMCA and the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter.
India and France also supported industrial cooperation for motorisation of heavy-lift helicopters under the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme with Safran Helicopter Engine, France.
To enable progress on the IMRH programme, a shareholders’ agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India and Safran Helicopter Engine, France, has been concluded for engine development.
“These ventures are in line with the spirit of trust that prevails between India and France in the sharing and joint development of critical components and technology building blocks, based on the successful Indo-French experience in technology transfer,” the document said.
Talking about the submarine programme, the Horizon 2047 document said India and France hail the success of the first Scorpene submarine construction programme (P75-Kalvari) — a model of ‘Make in India’ and the sharing of naval expertise between companies in the two countries.
“They (India and Frace) welcome the MoU between Mazgon Dockyard Ltd and Naval Group for the construction of three additional submarines under the P75 programme. India and France are ready to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian submarine fleet and its performance,” the document added.
Other examples of this defence industrial partnership rooted in mutual trust include the contract concluded between Safran Helicopter Engine and HAL for the Transfer of Technology of Forging and Castings for the Shakti Engine, which powers India’s indigenous fleet of helicopters, the vision document said.
An MoU was also signed between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), and Naval Group France to collaborate in the field of surface ship that caters to fulfil the requirement of India and International Naval forces, the document said.
France is one of India’s key partners in the development of a self-reliant defence industrial and technological base.
“India and France are committed to cooperating in the co-development and co-production of advanced defence technologies, including for the benefit of third countries,” the vision document added.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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