With increasing defence sector cooperation with France, India will now set up a technical office of DRDO at its embassy in Paris, as per the India-France joint statement which came on Friday.
The development took place while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to France, where he was invited as Guest of Honour for the Bastille Day Prade. On his visit, the Prime Minister of India was honoured by the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian award, by French President Emmanuel Macron. PM Modi dedicated the award to the People of India saying that it’s not my honour but the honour of 1.4 billion people of India.
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The joint statement, released after PM Modi had talks with the French President, said that France is one of India’s key partners in building a self-sufficient defence industrial and technological foundation. It also mentioned that both countries are committed to co-development and co-production of cutting-edge defence technologies for the benefit of third nations.
Safran and DRDO collaboration
French company Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India will collaborate in the field of advanced aeronautical technologies and will work together on the project of developing a combat aircraft engine. The Joint statement informed that Safran and DRDO will prepare a roadmap for the same by the end of this year.
As per government sources, the negotiations between DRDO and the French firm had been progressing well, on co-developing high-powered engines for the Advanced Medium Combat Medium Aircrafts (AMCA) being designed and developed by DRDO. The specifications of AMCA planned are such that they would require very strong engines.
Other developments in defence cooperation
There have been multiple developments in Indo-French ties, on the defence cooperation level, during Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to the country. Along with the Safran and DRDO cooperation, both leaders also agreed on industrial cooperation between Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL), India and Safran Helicopter Engine, France. The agreement is on the motorisation of heavy-lift helicopters, it will facilitate the advancement of the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme.
The joint statement said that the agreement between HAL and Safran for the “transfer of technology’ show the French government’s dedication to encouraging Make in India and that it’s an illustration of a military-industry relationship built on mutual trust.
Highlighting the success of the first Scorpene submarine construction programme, P75-Kalvari, under the Make in India initiative, both countries have further signed an MoU between Mazgon Dockyard Ltd and Naval Group for constructing three additional submarines under the P75 programme.
25th Aniversary of Indo-French Partnership
The diplomatic relations between both countries since 1947 were upgraded to a strategic partnership in 1998. Marking this year as the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French strategic partnership, both countries adopted a roadmap to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, calling it ‘Horizon 2047’.
2047 will be celebrated as the centenary of Indian Independence as well as 50 years of strategic partnership between India and France.
