G20 summit: India, France discuss new goals in defence

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, September 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday reiterated their commitment to further strengthen defence cooperation through forward-looking alliances in design, development, testing and manufacture of advanced defence technologies and platforms.

In their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit, they also agreed to expand defence production in India, including catering to the requirements of third countries in the Indo-Pacific, and in this respect called for early finalisation of the defence industrial roadmap.

The two leaders were meeting barely two months after their last interaction when the Prime Minister was invited as a Guest of Honour for celebration of French National Day and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the India-France strategic partnership.

They also discussed the overall progress and next steps on the implementation of the new and ambitious goals for cooperation in areas of defence, space, nuclear energy, digital public infrastructure, critical technology, climate change, education, and people-to-people contacts, according to a joint statement issued at the end of the interaction.

They also carried forward their discussions on the India-France partnership in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa.

At their last meeting, Macron and PM Modi had witnessed the signing of a pact between the French company Safran and the Indian PSU HAL for the transfer of technology of “forging and castings” for the Shakti Engine which powers all variants of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) after 2009. The engine is being made under a JV, the 500th engine was delivered in February this year, but HAL is yet to lay its hands on core technologies.

Mazagon Dockyard Ltd (MDL) and Naval Group of France have also signed an MoU for the construction of three additional Scorpene class submarines and with greater indigenous content. Named “Kalvari class” in India, six such vessels have already been made, the last one is set to be commissioned early next year.

New Delhi has also cleared the purchase of 26 Rafale-Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support for the Indian Navy.

Chalking out defence industrial roadmap

• Both sides reiterated their commitment to defence cooperation through partnership in defence technologies
• They agreed to expand production in India, including catering to third countries in the Indo-Pacific region