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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sojourn to France for the G7 Summit, French diplomatic sources connected Thursday (June 11, 2026) said the nation’s aboriginal defence practice with India, including the projected Rafale combatant pitchy deal, volition beryllium aligned with the ‘Make successful India’ inaugural and based connected an adjacent partnership.
France has reiterated its committedness to India’s ‘Make successful India’ inaugural successful the defence sector, signalling that the projected procurement of 114 Rafale combatant jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF) would beryllium structured otherwise from erstwhile defence deals.
During the sojourn connected June 13-14, PM Modi is scheduled to clasp bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron connected the sidelines of the summit.
India is presently advancing a mega defence acquisition programme, estimated astatine astir ₹3.25 lakh crore, for 114 Rafale combatant craft from the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to French diplomatic sources, the projected collaboration is being envisioned arsenic a concern based connected co-development and concern practice alternatively than a accepted client-vendor arrangement. “The defence programmes developed jointly by France volition beryllium afloat aligned with India’s ‘Make successful India’ requirements,” the sources said. They added that defence and exertion practice betwixt the 2 countries was entering a caller phase, with greater accent connected section manufacturing, integration of section weapons systems, and concern information by Indian entities.
The sources stressed that the concern was based connected an “equal-to-equal” attack and not simply connected the merchantability of subject platforms.
Apart from defence cooperation, civilian atomic vigor is expected to diagnostic prominently successful discussions betwixt Mr. Macron and Mr. Modi. French officials expressed optimism astir the prospects of enhanced practice successful the atomic sector, citing caller legislative reforms successful India.
According to the sources, French inferior companies are engaged successful discussions with large Indian stakeholders regarding aboriginal projects. “We are astatine the opening of a caller phase,” they said, expressing assurance that greater clarity connected imaginable collaborations could look by the extremity of the year.
On the anticipation of India’s information successful the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), France’s sixth-generation combatant craft programme, the sources said that “everything is open” but noted that immoderate ceremonial concern would beryllium connected India approaching France with a factual proposal.
India had earlier expressed involvement successful joining the FCAS programme during the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue held successful Bengaluru successful February this year. At the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh discussed the connection with the French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs.
According to authoritative sources successful the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Singh conveyed India’s willingness to enactment successful the co-development and co-manufacture of a sixth-generation combat craft nether the FCAS framework.
The FCAS programme was launched jointly by France and Germany successful 2017, with Spain joining successful 2019. The task aims to make a next-generation combat ecosystem centred astir a sixth-generation combatant craft and precocious networked capabilities. As per caller reports, Germany has stepped retired of the programme.
