India-France Sign Defence Space Agreement

India and France have signed a landmark agreement to jointly develop and launch military satellites with both offensive and defensive capabilities. The agreement was one of the key outcomes of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India as the chief guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations.

Defence Industrial Roadmap

Apart from the defence space partnership, India and France also adopted a defence industrial roadmap to co-design, co-develop and co-produce defence equipment for their own needs and for export to friendly countries. The roadmap covers various domains such as aviation, naval systems, land systems and cyber security.

Some of the notable initiatives under the roadmap include:

• A joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Safran for the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) engine and the Scorpene submarines built in India.
• An MoU between Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus to set up an assembly line for H125 helicopters in India.
• A commitment by Safran to transfer 100% technology for building fighter jet engines in India.

Maritime Surveillance and Global Situational Awareness

India and France also agreed to intensify their maritime surveillance cooperation in the Southwest Indian Ocean, building on the joint missions carried out from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022. The two sides stressed that their defence and security partnership is the cornerstone of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

The defence space agreement, signed by India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and France’s Defence Minister Sebastien Locornu, aims to enhance the operational capabilities of both countries through better global situational awareness. It would also help protect their national security interests and track the movements of adversaries in air, land and sea.

The agreement envisages the joint development of military satellites with advanced features such as optical, radar, electronic intelligence and communication payloads. The satellites would be launched by either India or France, depending on the availability of launch vehicles and orbital slots.

India-France Year of Innovation

The two leaders also declared 2024 as the India-France Year of Innovation, with a focus on enhancing collaboration in health, public administration, digital transformation, clean energy and climate action. Several declarations of intent were signed in these sectors during Macron’s visit.

India and France have a long-standing strategic partnership that dates back to 1998. The two countries share common values of democracy, rule of law and multilateralism. They also have converging interests in regional and global issues such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, cyber security and climate change.

The latest agreements signed during Macron’s visit reflect the depth and breadth of the bilateral cooperation and the mutual trust between the two countries. They also demonstrate their shared vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.