French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and India are entering a new era of defence cooperation, including plans to jointly produce Rafale fighter jets and helicopters. France also hopes to sell more submarines to India.
India plans to order another 114 Rafales, with up to 90 jets potentially co-produced in India by a joint venture. The deal, expected to cost around ₹3.25 trillion ($35.65 billion), follows India’s acquisition of 36 Rafales for the Air Force and 26 marine versions for the Navy.
Macron highlighted that Rafale jets are “absolutely key” and expressed hopes to expand cooperation to submarines and missiles. During his visit, he and PM Narendra Modi also unveiled India’s first H125 helicopter assembly line and a plan to produce Hammer missiles jointly.