Monday Morning Meeting on "India-France Defence Cooperation: Looking Ahead”

Dr. S. Samuel C. Rajiv, Associate Fellow, MP-IDSA spoke on the topic “India-France Defence Cooperation: Looking Ahead” at the Monday Morning Meeting held on 5 December 2022. The session was moderated by Col. Vivek Chadha (Retd.), Senior Fellow, MP-IDSA and attended by Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi (Retd.), Deputy Director General, MP-IDSA and all the scholars of MP-IDSA.

Executive Summary

Since Independence, India’s defence cooperation with France has remained consistent. French aircraft like the Toofani, Mystère, Mirage, Rafale and Alouette helicopters have been some of the potent assets of the IAF. Over the years, India-France Defence Cooperation has evolved from buyer-seller relations to the level of co-developers. Arms imports from France by India in recent times have increased by over 90 per cent, making it the largest European supplier of defence equipment. India is France’s second-largest defence market, after Saudi Arabia. As part of its offset obligations relating to the Rafale deal, Dassault along with Reliance is manufacturing components of civilian jets with FDI of 100 million Euros. Out of the 56 offset contracts, nine are being executed by French defence companies and their subsidiaries. The naval variant of the Rafale aircraft is a leading contender along with the US-manufactured F-18 for India’s Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighter (MRCBF) procurement tender for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers. Apart from fighter aircrafts, India is also procuring fifty-six C-295 manufactured by Airbus for the IAF.  These developments indicate that India is now turning towards Europe for the import of military aircrafts. 2023 marks 25 years of the India-France Srategic Partnership.

Detailed Report

Col. Vivek Chadha commenced the session by stating that defence relations of India with France have remained consistent since Independence. He said in more recent times, France has been a leading supplier of cutting-edge weapons and technology to India. He highlighted that French-manufactured fighter jets have played a decisive role in major operations during the 1965 War, Kargil War and the Balakot airstrikes. Col. Chadha highlighted that qualitatively a defence relationship evolves when it goes beyond just a buyer-seller relationship and reaches a level of co-development. With these opening remarks, Col. Chadha invited Dr. S. Samuel C. Rajiv to make his presentation.

Dr. Rajiv began his presentation by detailing the recently concluded India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in New Delhi. He stated that arms imports from France by India have increased by over 90 per cent in recent times, making it the largest supplier of defence equipment to India among all the European nations. Dr. Rajiv brought out that India is the second largest export market for French arms, after Saudi Arabia. He stated that in 1953, the Indian Air Force (IAF) became the first export customer for the French fighter aircraft, Mystere, which was renamed as Toofani. Subsequently, Mirages and Rafales were also procured. He highlighted that the French defence company 'Safran' has been present for over 65 years in India and 75 per cent of the aircraft and helicopters of the IAF have Safran INS systems, co-developed with Bharat Electronics Ltd. and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

He then went on to explain the offset policy relating to India’s procurement of the Rafale fighter jets. Dr. Rajiv brought out that as part of its offset obligations, Dassault along with Reliance is slated to manufacture components of civilian jets costing 100 million Euros. He stated that out of the 56 offset contracts in India, nine are being executed by French defence companies. He highlighted that the naval variant of the Rafale aircraft is a leading contender along with the US manufactured F-18, for India’s Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighter (MRCBF) procurement tender for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers. He stated that both the US and French have been aggressively pitching for their respective aircrafts.
Dr. Rajiv stated that apart from fighter aircrafts, India is also procuring 56 C-295 manufactured by Airbus for the IAF. He stated that these developments indicated that India is now turning towards Europe for the import of military aircraft. He opined that if India opts for the Rafale-Marine for its MRCBF along with the C-295, then it would signify the ascendance of European aerospace companies in the Indian market. He ended his presentation by stating that the year 2023 is a crucial year for India-France relations as it marks the 25th anniversary of their defence cooperation.

During the discussion, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Bipin Bakshi brought out that the French Alouette light utility helicopter was procured by India in 1965. Later these helicopters were manufactured as Chetak in India under a license obtained by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as one of the earliest examples of Transfer of Technology (TOT) between the two nations. He also said that the Indian Armed Forces successfully fitted the HAL Chetaks with SS-11 B1 missiles which were also manufactured by France. Gen. Bakshi stated that French influence in India’s defence sector, despite being very significant, has largely been underplayed. He emphasised that the prospects of French contribution to the Indian defence industry must be closely studied.

The session concluded after an insightful exchange of views between scholars during the Q&A session.

Key Takeaways

1. Arms imports from France by India increased by over 90 per cent in recent times, largely on account of the Rafale and the Scorpene deals, making it the largest European supplier of defence equipment.
2. India is France’s second-largest defence export market, after Saudi Arabia.
3. Out of the 56 offset contracts in India, nine are being executed by French defence companies.
4. India is now turning towards Europe for the import of military aircraft.

Report prepared by Dr. R.Vignesh, Research Analyst, Military Affairs Centre, MP-IDSA.