India and France enjoy a strong bilateral relationship. Notably, France was the first country with which India launched its first-ever Strategic Partnership on 26 January 1998 to deepen bilateral relations.
The strategic partnership completed its 25 years in 2023. Consequently, at the invitation of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France as the Guest of Honour at the French National Day from 13-14 July 2023. Moreover, with the completion of 25 years of close friendship, India and France adopted a roadmap to further strengthen the relationship for the next 25 years, called ‘Horizon 2047’.
Significantly, the year 2047 marks the centenary of India’s independence and the year by which the current government is working for India to transform into a developed country. It also marks the centenary of India’s and France’s diplomatic relations and 50 years of the Strategic Partnership of 1998.
Furthermore, the close ties between India and France are reflected by the fact that France has been the most invited country during the Republic Day celebrations. In 2024, when French President Emmanuel Macron joined the Republic Day event as the Chief Guest, he was the fifth President from France to participate. Before it, the Prime Minister of France, Jacques Chirac, was invited as the Chief Guest to attend the Republic Day parade held in 1976.
Additionally, defence cooperation is one of the pillars that defines this Strategic Partnership, which has other verticals of engagement on strategic focus areas like security development, civil nuclear and space cooperation, digitalisation, counterterrorism, climate change, and advanced computing.
Moreover, France is one of India’s key defence partners in the ‘Atmanirbhar Initiative’, aimed at creating self-reliant defence industrial production. Both countries follow a partnership to create advanced technologies. Also, for the larger global good, the output of co-development and co-production is open for use by third countries.
India and France hold the Annual Defence Dialogue at the Defence Minister level and the High Committee on Defence Cooperation at the Secretary level, a cornerstone of their defence cooperation.
Both countries have close cooperation in military aviation. In particular, as per the Embassy of India in France, the purchase of the fighter jet Rafale, the P-75 Scorpene Project, and collaboration on co-development of next-generation combat engines for fighter planes are major areas of defence cooperation. Under the Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) programme, India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and France’s Safran Helicopter Engine have signed a shareholders’ agreement to develop an engine.
According to Dassault Aviation, manufacturer of the Rafale fighter jet, it is an omnirole fighter offering versatility, interoperability, flexibility, and survivability that make it suitable for both traditional and asymmetric threats, ensuring the ability to maintain air domination.
Furthermore, Dassault Aviation defines it as “the ‘poster child’ transformational fighter which provides a way forward to air forces confronted to the requirement of doing ‘more’ with ‘less’, in an ever-changing strategic and economic environment.” Rafale is a compact fighter jet that is considered powerful for high-intensity warfare.
Notably, in January 2025, India dedicated INS Vaghsheer, a naval combatant, to the nation. INS Vaghsheer is the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene Project, constructed in collaboration with the Naval Group of France. Under an agreement with France, six submarines of Scorpene design, the conventional diesel-electric submarines, were to be manufactured in India.
Additionally, India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) and France’s Naval Group France have signed a MoU in the field of surface ships. The Naval Group is a prestigious name in building surface ships, whether patrol ships or nuclear aircraft carriers. In 2023, to further deepen the defence cooperation, India opened a technical office of its premier institute, DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation), at its embassy in Paris.
In addition, Safran Group of France, the world’s second largest aircraft equipment manufacturer, established its India operations 65 years ago. Under the ‘Make In India’ programme, the company says it is building an Indian supply chain for LEAP engines. Produced by GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, the engine powers aircraft like the Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX, and the COMAC C919. The company’s core activities involve building engines and equipment for civil aircraft, military engines for Mirage 2000 and Rafale, and space propulsion, as well as helicopter engines.
Both countries carry out joint defence exercises like VARUNA, and FRINJEX-23, and Exercise La Perouse, a biennial multilateral exercise conducted by the French Navy. The Indian Navy joined the fifth edition of the exercise with France, Australia, Canada, the United States, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and Singapore from 16th to 24th January 2025.
