India and France Will Collaborate On Fighter And Submarine Design And Manufacture

New Delhi: Emmanuel Bonne, the French president’s visiting diplomatic advisor, will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.  As part of a strategic conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He aimed at enlisting France as a key partner in India’s “Make in India” campaign to produce long-range submarines and much-needed aircraft engines.

The 36th India-France Strategic Dialogue will take place this afternoon and will be followed by other high-level exchanges in March. Bonne will also meet with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

While the Modi government remains tight-lipped about the dialogue. India is increasing its self-reliance in weapons. With the assistance of key allies such as France in the face of rising militarization by China. As once-key supplier Russia is mired in the Ukraine war.

India High Powered Military

India seeks not only a one-to-one transfer of technology for the manufacture of aircraft engines to power its indigenous twin-engine fighter. But also the design and development of next-generation high-powered military and civilian engines for future fighter and transport platforms. Already, the Tata Group has partnered with Airbus to produce the C295 tactical transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. In a joint venture with France, this line will be expanded into other civilian and military aircraft manufacturing.

With the Kalveri (French Scorpene) class submarine line delivering its final submarine this year. India is looking to France to continue manufacturing diesel attack submarines at Mumbai dockyards with indigenous air independent propulsion (AIP) systems for long endurance.

The Two Strategic Allies

While progress on both aircraft engines and long-range submarines is expected this year. The two strategic allies will discuss the Indo-Pacific, with France ready to assist. India in ocean bed mapping and underwater drones and sensors. Given the PLA’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, which includes a rapidly expanding warship and nuclear submarine force. India and its allies will need to be prepared for any emergency. As the Indian Ocean will be the next frontier. The two allies have joined forces with the UAE to ensure maritime domain awareness and security from the east coast of Africa to the far Pacific. Another key area in which India and France have collaborated to share technology in order to counter the rapid advances made

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Doval and Bonne will also discuss rising radicalization in the region, particularly in the Af-Pak region, following the rise of the Taliban, as well as terrorism emanating from Pakistan with India as the target. The twin terror attacks in Rajouri this month were carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT) group, who targeted innocent minority Hindus. The terror attacks clearly demonstrated that proscribed groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT are flourishing under Pakistan’s deep state, with the goal of targeting India, particularly Jammu and Kashmir.

-Bharat Express