France wants to be India’s “best partner” to boost its defense manufacturing and has decided to share best technologies and equipment in line with the growing “trust” between the two sides, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenin has said.
Without disclosing specific details, the envoy said that the French and Indian companies are working together on the “equipment of the future”, platforms and engines.
“I don’t think any country provides the same level of technology to India. The progress is also due to the fact that we believe that India wants to promote its strategic autonomy, build its industrial base and we want to be India’s best partner in this step. PTI,
Indo-French strategic ties have been on a major upswing since the signing of an inter-governmental agreement with France in September 2016 for the purchase of 36 Rafale jets at a cost of around Rs 59,000 crore.
Defense has always been a very strong component of our cooperation as there is a lot of trust between our two countries. When you want to work on these issues, you need faith because you commit yourself for 10, 20, 30 years,” Mr. Lenin said.
“This trust is the main asset we have. Defense cooperation is developing very well as we are very comfortable with India and we have decided that we can share our best technology, state-of-the-art equipment, best-in-class technology. are,” he said.
The two sides are now looking to further strengthen the strategic partnership in view of the global geopolitical scenario arising out of the crisis in Ukraine and the development of the Indo-Pacific region.
“From the beginning, we were the best partners in the Make-in-India policy. Now that India is moving towards a self-reliant policy, we are also for India,” said Mr. Lenin. He said that France is ready to develop equipment and share technical know-how with India.
“Our companies are working together on different types of equipment, on engines, on the equipment of the future. This is very positive for both the industries,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of the Indian Air Force buying additional Rafales and whether France was also considering supplying a naval version of the jet to the Indian Navy, Mr Lenin opted not to give a direct answer.
“We are talking, and again, we are very keen to provide state-of-the-art equipment. Everything is on the table and we do our best,” he said.
French aerospace major Safran has already started the ball rolling to set up its largest-ever Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Hyderabad with an investment of around $305 million.
“It is an equal partnership and it is a partnership to promote each other’s strategic autonomy,” said Mr. Lenin.
Ways to expand defense and security cooperation were explored during the visit of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to India last month.
In December last year, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had said that France had agreed to jointly manufacture aircraft engines with India.
In 2017, India unveiled the ambitious Strategic Partnership (SP) model to facilitate joint ventures between select private Indian firms and foreign defense companies to build military platforms such as submarines and fighter jets in India.
The SP model aims to create a vibrant defense manufacturing ecosystem in the country through joint ventures between Indian corporates and global defense companies.
The government has initiated several measures over the years to boost domestic defense manufacturing.
In March, the Defense Ministry said it plans to procure military equipment worth Rs 5 lakh crore from domestic industries over the next five to seven years, in line with its policy to promote indigenous defense manufacturing.
India has been one of the largest importers of arms globally. According to estimates, the Indian armed forces are projected to spend around $130 billion (equivalent to $1 billion) in capital procurement over the next five years.
The government now wants to reduce dependence on imported military platforms and has decided to support domestic defense manufacturing.
The Defense Ministry has set a target of $25 billion (₹1.75 lakh crore) business in defense manufacturing over the next five years, including an export target of $5 billion worth of military hardware.