New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is heading to France for the G7 Summit on June 13 and 14. He will hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines. Ahead of the visit, French diplomatic sources have made India's defence cooperation their headline message. France has said that all future defence programmes with India, including the proposed Rafale fighter jet deal, will be fully aligned with 'Make in India' and built on an equal partnership.
Is it not a buyer-seller deal?
India is working on a massive defence vanquishment worth virtually Rs 3.25 lakh crore for 114 Rafale fighter jets for the Indian Air Force. French sources have been well-spoken that this will not be structured like a traditional stovepipe sale. The proposed deal is stuff shaped as a co-development and industrial cooperation arrangement. Local manufacturing, integration of Indian weapons systems and participation of Indian defence companies are all on the table. Sources used the phrase equal-to-equal to describe the approach. France is not looking to just sell jets. It wants to build them with India.
Will nuclear energy moreover be on the agenda?
Defence is not the only big item for the Modi-Macron meeting. Civil nuclear energy is moreover expected to come up. French officials say recent legislative reforms in India have opened new doors. French utility companies are once in talks with major Indian stakeholders well-nigh future nuclear projects. Sources said greater clarity on these collaborations could come by the end of this year.
India vision sixth generation fighter programme?
There is moreover the question of India joining France's Future Combat Air System programme, which is a sixth-generation fighter watercraft project. French sources said everything is unshut but India needs to come with a formal proposal. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had once signalled India's interest at the India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru in February. Singh had discussed co-development and co-manufacture of a sixth-generation watercraft under the FCAS framework. The programme was launched by France and Germany in 2017, with Spain joining later. Germany has since stepped out.
