France offers full strategic Partnership
India and France are negotiating for sale of 26 Rafale-Maritime fighters for Indian Navy’s naval aviation forces along with a maintaining hub for Rafales in India. As the Indian Air Force too is also likely to go for four to six more Squadrons (64 to 96 aircrafts) of Rafale fighters to bolster its fighter squadron strength.
The French Naval Group is also going to jointly build three more latest advanced Kalvari class diesel attack submarines for India under Project 75.
So no wonder the India-France strategic dialogue is set to take place on September 30 in Paris between Shri Ajit Doval, NSA and Shri Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Adviser of the French Government. This will ensure that the India-France strategic defence partnership takes another big leap forward. France has long been a trusted supplier of advanced weaponry to India, and the partnership is central to India’s strategic autonomy.
The Emmanuel Macron government is ready to discuss and support the construction of nuclear attack submarines being constructed at Vishakhapatnam. India has already made plans to construct six nuclear attack submarines. At the minimum India needs 12 SSGNs and ideally 24 of tem. It also needs 9 to 12 SSBNs (two already in service with 3500 km SLBMs with three more to join soon) armed with 15000 km SLBM.
France is also ready to offer 100% transfer of technology for 110 kilo-Newton thrust jet engines and also for underwater drones with full capabilities to India.
The above issues are on the agenda of the India-France strategic dialogue between September 30 and October 1 between Shri Ajit Doval, the NSA to Indian Cabinet and Macron’s diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne in Paris. This is the first bilateral strategic engagement after Macron’s visit to India in January.
Doval is also going to meet Macron during his visit and brief the French President on India’s efforts to end the Ukraine conflict. Macron has been totally supportive of Indian efforts to engage with the Russians to end the Ukrainian conflict and work together to mitigate its consequences on the Global South.
France and India are already collaborating in new domains of potential future conflicts such as space with Doval signing a letter of intent on military satellites with French Defence Minister Sebastian Lecornu during Macron’s visit to India as the chief guest on Republic Day.
Doval will also seek to make progress on an offer made by the Kolkata born Chairman of Safran Engines Ross McInnes to the Modi government when he visited India last week.
Safran, had collaborated with ISRO to develop space rocket engines in the 1970s, has offered to jointly design, develop, certify and produce 110 KN Jet fighter engines for future Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project with 100% TOT including hot engine sections.
It has also offered to train Indians in advanced metallurgy. The jointly developed engine will be sovereign property of India, which it can export to third countries without any restrictions. Safran has also offered to help India upgrade this fighter jet engine for newer versions of AMCA in the future.
France and India have deep ongoing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific with focus on the Indian Ocean as both countries are resident powers. Therefore as resident powers, the two advisors will also discuss the Middle-East conflict and the targeting of commercial shipping by Houthis in Red Sea.
France has keen interest in the India-Middle-East Economic Corridor and has already appointed a special envoy to support the ambitious project. The situation in Bangladesh and the elections in Sri Lanka will also be topics of discussion under the strategic dialogue umbrella.
