The joint statement was released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting French President and Republic Day chief guest Emmanuel Macron Thursday and Friday.
India and France on Friday welcomed the progress in establishing the MRO (Maintenance-Repair-Overhaul) facility for LEAP engines in India by French defence major Safran and plans to add MRO for Rafale engines, a joint statement released by the two countries stated.
Both the countries also welcomed a comprehensive helicopter partnership with a Joint Venture for Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) engine between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran, and the Scorpene submarines constructed in India, including indigenisation, it added.
The joint statement was released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with visiting French President and Republic Day chief guest Emmanuel Macron Thursday and Friday.
As per the statement, they also welcomed the discussions between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the French Directorate General of Armament (DGA), and intend to conclude an Arrangement MoU in an early timeframe.
Both countries had adopted a roadmap on Defence Industrial Cooperation which was further elaborated in the joint statement.
It said President Macron and Prime Minister Modi reiterated their commitment to further deepening the integration between the two countries’ respective defence industrial sectors and to work together to identify opportunities for co-design, co-development, co-production with the objective of not only fulfilling the defence needs of the Indian armed forces, but also of providing a viable and reliable source of defence supplies to other friendly countries.
It said that they noted that defence industrial collaboration, especially from the design stage, not only creates quality jobs for the youth and advances Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, but also supports a broader progress in scientific, technological, digital and material sciences fields to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat for 2047.
“Towards this end, the two leaders welcomed the adoption of an ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap,” it said.
As per the statement, defense and security partnership has been the cornerstone of India-France partnership in the Indo Pacific region, which include a comprehensive range of bilateral, multinational, regional and institutional initiatives, especially in the Indian Ocean Region.
“They also agreed to intensify their cooperation in the Southwest Indian Ocean, “building on the joint surveillance missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022,” it stated, adding that they also welcomed the extension of those interactions in India’s maritime neighbourhood.
“These interactions may contribute positively to the securitization of strategic sea lanes of communication,” it said.
“In addition, the two leaders welcomed the progress in bilateral dialogue and identification of specific opportunities for using India as a base for the manufacture and export of defense equipment for friendly countries in the region,” it added.
India and France have been talking over collaborating on manufacturing an engine for India’s planned fifth generation aircraft—the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft. The plans for the joint development of the engine were announced during PM Modi’s visit to France last year. At that time, both countries also said they will support industrial cooperation for motorization of heavy-lift helicopters under the IMRH programme with the French Safran Helicopter Engine, adding that a a Shareholders’ Agreement between HAL and Safran Helicopter Engine has been concluded for engine development.
India and the US will be jointly manufacturing the F-414 engine which will power its indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Mk 2 and the initial version of the AMCA.
source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)