Explainer: Why France is the new Russia

A series of developments in the military aviation sector have positioned India-France ties as matching New Delhi’s historic cooperation with Moscow. Russia’s pole position as a supplier of military equipment to India remains unchallenged, but France is now the lead partner in military aviation. Its companies are collaborating with Indian partners to produce fighter jets, jet engines, air-launched precision missiles and in making latest avionics.Moscow’s military cooperation extends to miniaturisation of nuclear reactors for submarines, and co-production of T-90 tanks and BrahMos missiles. The S-400 air defence system, which wreaked havoc during Operation Sindoor, is Russian.Faced with multiple threats of US sanctions over ties with Russia, somewhere down the line, New Delhi opted for a strategic tie-up with France. With the US, India has a buyer-seller relationship for military technology, and aspirations of being a ‘partner’ in technology remain unattended.Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), former Director General of the Centre for Air Power and Strategic Studies (CAPSS), an IAF-backed think tank, gives reasons for India opting for France: “One, they will not arm-twist us for some geo-political reasons. Two, in all past operations, French-origin planes such as the Mystere, Mirage 2000 and Rafale have proved their mettle.”The seamless shiftHistoric relations and latest tie-ups position France as India’s “all-weather friend”, offering high-tech weaponry and localised production.France has gained in the past 15 years as the Russian inventories slowed down. The last major Indian order from Russia was of additional Mi-17V5 helicopters in 2013. All other aviation fleets of Russian parentage of the Indian Air Force are older, including the Sukhoi-30MKI jets, the MiG-29 jets, transport planes IL-76 and AN-32 and helicopters Mi-17 and Mi-25/Mi-35.In the past two decades, New Delhi also purchased cutting-edge military equipment — largely planes and copters — worth almost $20 billion from the US, but with no transfer of technology. On the other hand, France, besides offering local production, ‘mirrored’ what Russia did as India’s partner. In 1998, when most western nations sanctioned India following its nuclear tests, France was one of the few that refused to condemn New Delhi. It has also supported India on sensitive issues at the United Nations Security Council, including counter-terrorism and Kashmir.Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), a former Additional DG of the CAPSS, argues: “French imports have a similarity, like the Russians, that they came with no strings attached. Both have been reliable partners.”“France is a time-tested friend and makes the entire plane and its armaments,” avers Air Marshal Chopra. However, a key issue will be technology transfer and how India benefits. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been licence-producing Russian-origin planes and engines, but learnt nothing about metallurgy from those projects. “It is naive to expect a full technology transfer from France or from anyone,” points out AVM Bahadur.India-US technology cooperation still has a glimmer of hope in the expected joint venture to produce General Electric’s F-414 aero-engine in India. The Tejas Mark-2 fighter jet was designed around the specifications of the GE F-414 engine.The French edgeIndia’s decision to get 36 Rafale jets for the IAF from plane maker Dassault in 2015 marked a turning point in military aviation ties. Later, the Navy’s demand for 26 jets of the ‘Marine’ version was okayed. Last week, the Defence Acquisition Council, the apex decision-making body of the Ministry of Defence, green-lighted the procurement of another 114 Rafale jets — a collective order of 176 jets. Effectively, French jets would emerge as the lead strike formations as India has not ordered any new Russian jets in the past 20 years. It means the existing fleets of Sukhoi-30MKI and MiG 29 variants would start retiring.French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in New Delhi for the AI Summit, assured that ‘Make in India’ would be key to the Rafale project.Engines, missiles, avionics, coptersFrench military aviation supplies to India date back to the 1950s when the IAF got the Ouragan and Mystere, and the Navy flew the Alize aircraft. French helicopter Alouette III was first licensed-produced by HAL in the 1960s. The Mirage 2000 fighter jets came in the 1980s while a Safran-HAL joint venture produced the first ‘Shakti’ engine for the indigenous Dhruv helicopter in 2007.This week, a joint venture was signed between public sector unit Bharat Electronics Limited and Safran to produce the ‘hammer’ missiles, which are already mated to the existing fleet of Rafale jets and were used during Operation Sindoor. The missile can also be mated to the IAF’s Mirage 2000 fleet and the Tejas jets — some 180 are on order.India’s first helicopter ‘final assembly line’ in the private sector was also inaugurated this week. European giant Airbus and India’s Tata Advanced Systems Limited will build the Airbus H-125 helicopters. France is one of the four partners in Airbus.In 2022, Safran and HAL announced a joint venture to develop engines for the next generation, 13-tonne capacity Indian Multi Role Helicopter. The French company is also partnering with the Gas Turbine Research Establishment to make a new 120 kilo newton thrust engine for India’s 5th-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).Earlier this week, French avionics maker Thales opened its laboratory for research and technology at its Engineering Competence Centre in Bengaluru. Thales has an annual Euro 4 billion spend on R&D. Ankur Kanaglekar, Vice-President (India), Thales, says, “We will continue to expand engineering and R&D footprint... and deepen collaborations.”

Explainer: Why France is the new Russia

Russia’s pole position as a supplier of military equipment to India remains intact, but France is now the lead partner in aviation

Ajay Banerjee

Explainer: Why France is the new Russia

Russia’s pole position as a supplier of military equipment to India remains intact, but France is now the lead partner in aviation

Ajay Banerjee

Unlock Premium Insights in This Article