India, France discuss military cooperation

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 17

India and France that have a long-standing relationship on sharing military technologies on Friday discussed aerospace cooperation. India offered French companies to either collaborate with Indian companies or simply produce in India.

Can provide more Rafale jets: Parly

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• French Minister Florence Parly on Friday said France could meet any additional needs or requests made by India for additional Rafale fighter jets
• On Indo-Pacific, she said France wanted it to be an open and inclusive area free from any “coercion” and based on compliance with international law and multilateralism

The third Annual Defence Dialogue between India and France took place here and discussion centred around military cooperation, shared perspectives and concerns on Afghanistan, China and Pakistan.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Minister for Armed Forces Florence Parly discussed a wide range of bilateral, regional, defence and defence industrial cooperation issues, a statement of the Ministry of Defence said tonight.

India and France already have a tie-up to make ‘turbomeca’ engines for helicopters that power Dhruv copters made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Safran, the French jet engine maker, is in talks to make an engine in collaboration for India’s indigenous fighter jets.

French company Naval group is making the Scorpene-class submarines while Dassault is supplying 36 fighter Rafale fighter jets.