Big defence boost on cards as India, France hold key talks in Bengaluru

Defence Ministers Rajnath Singh and Catherine Vautrin to lead high-level dialogue on February 17, with key agreements on missiles, industrial collaboration, and helicopter assembly.

India and France are set to significantly deepen their long-standing defence partnership during the sixth annual bilateral defence dialogue scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on Tuesday, February 17. The high-level meeting will focus on expanding joint weapons manufacturing, strengthening industrial collaboration, and enhancing military cooperation.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will co-chair the dialogue with France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin. The talks are expected to comprehensively review the existing defence relationship and chart a roadmap for future cooperation, with special emphasis on co-production, technology sharing, and defence industrial partnerships.

According to an official statement, both sides are likely to extend their current defence cooperation framework for another ten years, reinforcing their strategic partnership. A key highlight of the meeting will be the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the production of HAMMER precision-guided air-to-ground missiles in India. This project will be executed through a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France-based Safran Electronics and Defence, marking a major step in India’s push for indigenous defence manufacturing.

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The dialogue is also expected to focus on deeper military-to-military engagement. As part of this effort, both countries are likely to announce the reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments. This initiative aims to improve operational coordination, institutional cooperation, and interoperability between the two armed forces.

In addition, the two ministers will jointly witness the virtual inauguration of the final assembly line for the Airbus H125 light utility helicopter at Vemagal in Karnataka. The facility, developed by Tata Advanced Systems in partnership with Airbus, will become India’s first private-sector helicopter manufacturing unit. The plant is expected to deliver its first helicopter in 2027.

The locally assembled H125 helicopters are intended for both domestic and regional markets and could also be offered to the Indian armed forces for light multi-role duties, including high-altitude operations along the Himalayan frontier. The companies have proposed a military variant, the H125M, which will feature significant indigenous components and may be considered for future defence procurement programmes.