India and France to jointly produce defense equipment

• Defense production includes helicopters, submarines.
• Macron and Modi agree to expand bilateral relations.
• France is India’s largest arms supplier after Russia.

NEW DELHI: India has signed an agreement with France to jointly produce defense equipment, including helicopters and submarines for the Indian Armed Forces and friendly countries, Reuters reported on Saturday.

The agreement between the two countries was reached during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India, where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu, New Delhi said.

Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral ties in defense production, nuclear power, space research and the use of artificial intelligence for public services such as climate change, health and agriculture, the statement said.

He did not specify the value of any deals.

After Russia, France is the largest arms supplier to India, which has relied on its fighters for four decades.

The leaders welcomed the establishment of maintenance, repair and overhaul services by France’s Safran for advanced air propulsion (LEAP) engines in India and the addition of such services for Rafale engines, as well as a helicopter partnership.

The bilateral summit during Macron’s 40-hour visit was the fifth Macron-Modi meeting since May.

India’s Tata Group and France’s Airbus have signed an agreement to jointly manufacture civilian helicopters, Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra said.

French jet engine maker CFM International also announced a deal with India’s Akasa Air to buy more than 300 of its LEAP-1B engines to power 150 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Akasa Air had previously ordered 76 powered aircraft, of which 22 are in use.

India and France have agreed to step up cooperation in the southwest Indian Ocean, building on joint surveillance missions conducted from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022, the government statement said.

Macron also said France would create conditions to attract up to 30,000 Indian students a year for higher education. (Reporting by Manoj Kumar; Editing by William Mallard)