India, France sign key defence pacts, set to co-develop new combat aircraft engine
Macron and Modi
India and France on Friday announced that they will be jointly developing a combat aircraft engine and engine for the Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The announcement came following the conclusion of bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, as they announced a roadmap “to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047”.
“India and France will extend their ground-breaking defence cooperation in advanced aeronautical technologies by supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine,” the statement provided by Indian Ministry of External Affairs read.
“They also support industrial cooperation for motorization 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,” it added.
'Ventures in line withspirit of trust'
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 statement read.
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A roadmap for this project will be prepared between Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) before the end of this year.
“Defence cooperation has been a strong pillar of our ties. It is a symbol of deep mutual trust between the two countries. France is an important partner in Make in India and self-reliant India,” Modi said at the joint press statement ahead of the bilateral talks at Elysee Palace.
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The PM said that the two countries are discussing possibilities for co-development and co-production of defence equipment and also export them to third countries.
The statement mentioned other examples of the defence industrial partnership that includes the contract being concluded between Safran Helicopter Engine and HAL for the transfer of technology of "forging and castings" for the Shakti engine.
"This is also reflective of the French commitment to support technology transfer and Make in India," it said.
The announcement came a day after India’s Defence Acquisition Council gave in-principle approval for the procurement of 26 Rafale-M fighters to operate off India’s aircraft carriers and three additional Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines from France.
However, no announcements were made about this deal during the joint press conference.
India P75 programme
Moreover, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between India's Mazagon Dockyard Ltd and France's Naval Group for the construction of three additional submarines under the P75 programme.
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“India and France are ready to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian submarine fleet and its performance,” the statement said.
In view of the uptick in defence industrial collaborations between the two countries, India is setting up a technical office of the DRDO at the Indian embassy in Paris.
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