India-France defence ties beyond Rafale: Next-gen aerospace tech, Future Combat Air System and more

India and France are steadily advancing their defence partnership beyond established platforms such as Rafale jets, with a series of high-level visits, agreements and defence dialogues. New Delhi has initiated efforts to join the French-led Future Combat Air System (FCAS), with the Ministry of Defence confirming the move in its response to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence on August 7. The ministry said it had “initiated efforts in a concerted manner to co-join” the sixth-generation fighter aircraft development programme spearheaded by France.

France, a core strategic defence partner for India

Decades of demonstrated reliability and converging strategic interests have shaped the India-France defence relationship, particularly since India’s 1998 nuclear tests. France adopted a more independent position than several Western countries. During the 1999 Kargil conflict, France maintained close diplomatic engagement with India. The Indian Air Force’s (IAF) French-origin Mirage 2000 aircraft played a key role in precision strikes during Operation Safed Sagar. Since then, a broader strategic partnership covers defence, space, civil nuclear energy, the Indo-Pacific and advanced technologies.

France goes beyond major arms supplier to India

Sharing converging interests in Indo-Pacific security, France has emerged as a major defence supplier to India as New Delhi diversifies away from its historic dependence on Russia.

It is no longer just a traditional procurement relationship: France also provides India with access to technologies and industrial partnership models that differ from those available from the US or Russia. The stress now is on joint research, co-development and co-production rather than simply buying finished platforms. In February, India and France agreed to establish a Joint Advanced Technology Development Group to explore cooperation in emerging and critical technologies.

From Rafale to Scorpène submarines and more

The defence ties already span fighter jets, submarines, missiles and aviation technology. France completed delivery of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to the IAF in 2022. Under Project 75, the final of six Scorpène-class submarines was delivered to the Indian Navy in January 2025. In April 2025, India and France signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft for the Indian Navy. The package comprises 22 single-seat and four twin-seat aircraft and four twin-seat aircraft for land-based training. It includes training, simulators, weapons, associated equipment and performance-based logistics.

The agreement includes plans for a Rafale fuselage production facility in India and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities for aircraft engines, sensors and weapons.

The focus is also shifting towards advanced propulsion. India and French aerospace company Safran have been discussing cooperation on a high-thrust fighter engine for India’s future combat aircraft.

Direct negotiations unrestrained by alliance expectations

When it comes to France, India is not dealing with a large multinational consortium in the same way it does with some other major defence programmes. This can give the two governments and their industrial partners greater scope to negotiate workshare, technology cooperation and design responsibilities directly. US defence cooperation can sometimes involve tighter export-control requirements and technology restrictions, while India has traditionally valued strategic autonomy and flexibility in its defence partnerships.

The France-India relationship has increasingly centred on industrial cooperation and technology development, rather than being limited to platform purchases.

Russia remains a historically important defence partner for India, but its position has weakened as Moscow’s ability to deliver equipment has been affected by the Ukraine war, sanctions and its own wartime requirements.

The restructured FCAS could benefit the Indian private sector

Indian efforts to join the French-led FCAS potentially gives it an opportunity to participate in the development of sixth-generation air combat technologies.

The move comes after the collapse of the original Franco-German fighter partnership at the centre of the FCAS programme. France and Germany abandoned their joint fighter development effort in June after prolonged disagreements between Dassault Aviation and Airbus Defence and Space over leadership, workshare and intellectual property.

The Indian move therefore comes at a significant point in the programme’s evolution.

The original FCAS concept was built around a New Generation Fighter (NGF), supported by unmanned Remote Carriers and a Combat Cloud connecting aircraft, sensors and other assets. The wider architecture envisages networked data sharing, sensor fusion, artificial intelligence, advanced stealth and electronic warfare capabilities.

For India, participation in FCAS could create opportunities for domestic companies and engineering teams in airframe structures, mission systems, unmanned platforms, software and networked combat systems. India’s own Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme is also moving towards development of a fifth-generation stealth fighter. The parallel pursuit of AMCA and potential participation in FCAS could allow Indian industry to build expertise across different generations of combat-aircraft technology.

The FCAS effort could give Indian industry exposure to technologies and design processes beyond conventional licensed production. Potential areas include manned-unmanned teaming, mission computing, sensors, electronic warfare, autonomous systems and combat-cloud technologies.