India and France are set to co-develop and manufacture a powerful jet engine for India’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft, marking a significant shift towards defence self-reliance. The $7 billion project involving cooperation between French aerospace major Safran and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), aims to design, develop, and manufacture 120-kilonewton engines in India. It will involve 100% transfer of technology to India.
The engine deal comes amid India’s accelerated push for indigenization in defence and deepen an already expansive strategic partnership between New Delhi and Paris. Earlier, India signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to purchase 26 Rafale Marine jets from France’s Dassault Aviation to replace Russian MiG-29K fighters, adding to the 36 Rafales already in service with Indian Airforce. Airbus is collaborating with TATA Aerospace to build C295 aircraft in India. Safran already manufactures helicopter engines in India and has been a longstanding partner in the aviation and defence sector.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “Our vision of self-reliance in defence is not just about reducing imports. It is about creating an ecosystem where Indian industry, public and private, develops world-class capability, where we not only meet domestic requirements but also emerge as a global supplier of high-quality defence products.”
India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has repeatedly sought to boost domestic production. The last few years have seen launch of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, new warships and submarines, helicopters, and long-range hypersonic missiles.
India’s exports have grown nearly 35x (from a modest base) in past decade, with its products and platforms reaching nearly 100 countries. Five positive indigenization lists covering 509 platforms and weapons, along with additional lists by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) will ensure thousands of strategically important items are made only in India. With 65% of population under 35, a thriving start-up ecosystem with >120 unicorns, and a massive push for self-reliance in defence, India is positioning itself not only to be regional power, but a global defence hub.
France has been a reliable and steady strategic partner for India for over three decades providing submarines, fighter aircrafts (Mirage and Rafales) and other critical hardware and technologies. It was one of the few western powers not to impose sanctions on India after Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998. This imminent India-France Project would cement the strategic ties between the two countries and would provide a major boost towards India’s self-reliance and strategic leadership.
Disclaimer: The article has reference to open sources including The Economic Times and Hindustan Times.