French President Emmanuel Macron committed to support Modi’s India for developing advanced military industrial complex
Emmanuel Bonne, the French President’s visiting diplomatic advisor, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today as part of a strategic dialogue with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval aimed at making France a key partner in the “Make in India” campaign to manufacture much-needed aircraft engines and long-range submarines.
The 36th India-France Strategic Dialogue will take place and will be followed by further high-level exchanges in March. Bonne will also meet with Defense and External Affairs Ministers Rajnath Singh and S Jaishankar.
While the Modi administration remains tight-lipped about the dialogue, India is increasing its self-reliance in weapons and hardware platforms with the assistance of major allies such as France in the face of growing militarization by China, while once-essential supplier Russia is bogged down in the Ukraine crisis.
India seeks not just 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. This line will be expanded into other commercial and military aircraft manufacturing in a joint venture with France.
With the Kalveri (French Scorpene) class submarine line delivering its final submarine this year, India is turning to France to continue constructing diesel attack submarines at Mumbai dockyards with indigenous air independent propulsion (AIP) systems for extended endurance.
While progress on both aircraft engines and long-range submarines is expected this year, the two strategic allies will address the Indo-Pacific, with France willing to assist India in ocean bed mapping and underwater drones and sensors. Given the PLA’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific, which includes a fast-developing warship and nuclear submarine force, India and its allies will need to be prepared for any emergency since the Indian Ocean will be the next frontier. The two allies have joined forces with the UAE to provide marine domain awareness and security from the east coast of Africa to the far Pacific. Another significant area in which India and France have collaborated is to exchange technology in order to offset the tremendous advances made by China.
Doval will inform Bonne on the PLA stance along the 3488-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the strategic dialogue, and the two leaders will also discuss ways to get both Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table to conclude a conflict that began in February 2022.
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