India-France to join hands in fighter and submarine design and manufacturing

By Republic Aeon Web Desk: With French President Emmanuel Macron’s commitment to helping Modi’s India establish an advanced military industrial complex, the 36th India-France dialogue will mark progress today.

New Delhi:Emmanuel Bonne, the French president’s visiting diplomatic advisor, will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi today as part of a strategic conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval aimed at enlisting France as a key partner in India’s “Make in India” campaign to produce long-range submarines and much-needed aircraft engines.

This afternoon’s 36th India-France Strategic Dialogue will pave the way for additional high-level discussions in March. Additionally, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will be seen by diplomatic advisor Bonne.

The Modi government is keeping quiet about the conversation, but India is becoming more self-sufficient in hardware platforms and weaponry with the aid of important friends like France in the face of growing militarization by China as once-important supplier Russia was entangled in the Ukraine War.

In addition to seeking a 100 percent technology transfer for its indigenous twin-engine fighter aircraft, India is also developing and building next-generation, highly potent military and civilian engines for fighter and transport platforms.

Already, the Tata Group and Airbus have a manufacturing agreement for the C295 tactical transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. In a partnership with France, this line will be extended into the production of further military and civilian aircraft.

India is looking to France to continue the manufacturing line at Mumbai dockyards with diesel attack submarines retrofitted with an indigenous air independent propulsion (AIP) system for long endurance since the Kalveri (French Scorpene) class submarine line will deliver its final submarine this year.

While progress is anticipated this year with France on long-range submarines and aircraft engines, the two strategic allies will also talk about the Indo-Pacific because France is prepared to assist India with ocean bed mapping and underwater drones and sensors. The Indian Ocean will be the new frontier, and given the PLA’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific and its quickly growing warship and nuclear submarine force, India and its allies would need to be ready for any emergency. While progress is anticipated this year with France on long-range submarines and aircraft engines, the two strategic allies will also talk about the Indo-Pacific because France is prepared to assist India with ocean bed mapping and underwater drones and sensors. The Indian Ocean will be the new frontier, and given the PLA’s belligerence in the Indo-Pacific and its quickly growing warship and nuclear submarine force, India and its allies would need to be ready for any emergency.

In addition to discussing the increased radicalization in the region, notably in the Af-Pak region following the establishment of the Taliban, Doval and Bonne will also discuss terrorism coming from Pakistan with India as the objective. This month’s twin terror incidents in Rajouri were conducted by Pakistan based Lashkar-e-Tayebba (LeT) group with innocent minority Hindus as targets. The terrorist strikes made it abundantly evident that banned organisations like Jaish-e-Mohammed and LeT are flourishing under the control of Pakistan’s deep state and have been targeting India, specifically Jammu and Kashmir. Despite China constantly supporting Islamabad, it was only with the help of important friends like France and the US that India was able to get the 1267 Sanctions Committee to blacklist numerous terrorists residing in Pakistan. In addition, at Pakistan’s request, France and the US were the two nations that stopped China from designating Indian engineers operating in Afghanistan as terrorists.

Doval will brief Bonne on the PLA stance along the 3488 kilometre Line of Actual Control (LAC) during the strategic meeting. The two leaders will also discuss how to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table in order to put an end to the crisis, which began in February 2022.