BENGALURU: In a significant development, India and France on Tuesday signed an MoU for a joint venture to manufacture Hammer missiles in India by the CMD, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and the Executive Vice-President, Safran Electronics and Defence during the sixth India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, which was co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France, Catherine Vautrin.
The MoU comes close on the heels of India’s Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Singh, clearing the purchase of 114 Rafale fighters at a cost of Rs 3.25 lakh crore, to bolster the depleting squadron strength of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The Annual Defence Dialogue -- a structured ministerial-level bilateral meeting to review and guide defence and security cooperation -- was held in parallel to French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi to participate in the AI Impact Summit hosted by India.
Singh and Vautrin discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of equipment. The two countries announced the reciprocal deployment of officers at the Indian Army and French Land Forces and renewed the 10-year defence cooperation agreement, which was signed by the Defence Secretary, India and Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy, France.
The two ministers emphasised on the need for a closer defence partnership and connecting the industries of both nations, especially in the field of niche technology.
They reaffirmed the commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership. Singh stated that the recent India-EU Security & Defence partnership marks a significant step in deepening the collective engagement.
The two leaders agreed to leverage this framework, both bilaterally and in the wider European context for tangible outcomes that will strengthen regional stability, enhance joint capabilities, and reinforce the enduring Indo-French strategic alignment.
Earlier, Singh welcomed Vautrin on her maiden visit to India and congratulated her on taking over as the French Defence Minister at a critical moment for European and global security. “India deeply appreciates France’s steadfast commitment to strategic autonomy and a robust European defence posture,” he said.
Vautrin appreciated the conversion of Exercise Shakti with the Indian Army from biennial to an annual event.
Singh emphasised that India has been the “first responder” and a “net security provider” for countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and has always extended assistance to them in defence, security and maritime domains, to augment their capabilities and ward off any adversary. On terrorism, he stated that Pakistan has a long history of nurturing, nourishing, and promoting cross-border terrorism to create disturbance and violence in India. This, he said, has created a serious threat to peace in the region.
Prior to the meeting, the French defence minister was presented with the guard of honour at the HAL Airport upon her arrival on Tuesday.