The two counties have also reached agreements on defence space partnership, satellite launches, joint research in clean energy, health care cooperation, collaboration in the field of public administration, and activation of five-year validity of Schengen visas for Indian students pursuing their Master’s degree in France, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said, briefing the media on the outcome of the talks between the two leaders.
Tata and Airbus Helicopters will partner to produce the H125 helicopters in India with a significant indigenous and localisation component, he said.
This will be India’s first helicopter assembly line in the private sector under the government’s “Make in India” initiative. The production of the first made-in-India H125 helicopter is expected to commence in 2026, people aware of the matter said. The helicopter can carry up to six passengers.
“The two countries have agreed to adopt the defence production road map. The priority of defence cooperation through this road map is to actually identify opportunities for partnership in the defence industrial sector that prioritise co-designing, co-development, co-production and also building the defence supply chains between the two countries so that they cannot only fulfil the defence needs of India and France but also can be a useful contributor to the security partnership with other countries who might be in use of similar products,” Kwatra said, in response to a question.
Elaborating on the scope of the cooperation, he said it will encompass both air and space technologies, maritime technology including underwater domain awareness, equipment and systems related to land warfare, robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and platforms, and cyber defence.
“This flows from what the two countries agreed to in the Horizon 2047 Roadmap last year...The focus is on defence production and manufacturing in a manner that you can harness the compatibilities and competencies which the two economies have and the two engineering systems have and then use it to further strengthen your defence cooperation.”
Macron’s visit seeks to consolidate the ambitious renewal of the India-France strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on in Paris last July through the Horizon 2047 Roadmap.
The French President’s visit has been very heavy in terms of its substantive outcome as well as the richness of discussions between the two leaders, he said.
France could step in to help India design and develop fighter jet engines.
On the Safran engine for India’s fighter jet programme, India’s ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf, who was present at the briefing, said, “The issue is really about arriving at a set of specifications that comply with our future fighter jet requirements. So this always features in the conversation between the President and the PM because what we are looking for is not just a manufacturing transfer of technology which essentially keeps you going with the same crutches that you have been going on for the last six decades.But to work in the actual design phase, metallurgical aspects etc. Safran is fully willing to do it with a 100% transfer of technology in design, development, certification, production and so forth. But it is obviously a very complex subject, and it has to fit in with the overall future requirements. These discussions will continue to take place and that’s also a part of the defence industrial road map.”
Space has been one of the key anchors of the India-France strategic partnership, and Kwatra said that NewSpace India Limited and Arianespace have finalised an MoU to cooperate on satellite launches.
“The letter intent that the two countries have agreed on this time would essentially focus on areas such as space situational awareness which is very important to build an understanding of the kind of traffic which is up there in the space, collision avoidance, again because of traffic, Earth monitoring from the space, remote sensing, communications and broadcasting.”
There is also a related understanding which was arrived at between NSIL and Arianespace on the optimisation of satellite launches. “France has some very strong satellite launching capabilities and so does India. And the idea is how do these two institutions come together to optimise these capacities including through the best and maximum use the satellite launch windows that might be available.”
The salience of the India-France partnership has only grown in today’s complex geopolitical environment and in pursuit of national priorities and interests, Kwatra said, adding that it has been agreed that the 2026 will be celebrated as India-France year of innovation.
He said the two sides had agreed on a young professional scheme to promote exchanges of professionals aged between 18 and 35 years under the overall framework of India-France migration and mobility partnership agreement.
“The topics of discussion between the two leaders included areas of priority and focus in our bilateral partnership as also issues of interest and significance regionally and globally.”
The two leaders have had extensive exchanges over the last year having met six times alone in 2023, and four times in the last six months alone, a clear reflection of the importance by both the leaders to this partnership as also the intensity of high-level supervision and direction to the relationship, Kwatra said.
"The partnership over the years has shown all round progress across all the domains including defence, security, nuclear energy, space, clean energy, blue economy, biodiversity, science and technology, digital domain and in the field of commerce and economic cooperation.”
Responding to a question on cooperation in the Indian Ocean region and Indo-Pacific, Kwatra said both India and France are resident powers in this part of the world and they can cooperate to mitigate the challenges and harvest the opportunities that exist. “That has always been a very important priority of discussions between the leaders. And discussions this time were no exception.”
The Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Gaza and the Red Sea tensions also figured in the talks, he said.
Choppers to space, India and France seal key deals
India and France will produce a multi-mission helicopter, and French engine maker Safran is willing to transfer 100% technology to build fighter jet engines
Source:
Indian source
Indian source
