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New Delhi: India could be looking at significant gains on two fronts of its strategic partnership with France – fighter jet technology and civil nuclear energy – as the prime minister, Narendra Modi, prepares for a week-long visit to France and Slovakia beginning Saturday. Modi is due in France next week for the G7 summit
French diplomatic sources have indicated that Paris is comfortable sharing advanced combat aviation technology with India and integrating India-made weapons systems on Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighters, as part of the long-pending deal for 114 jets for the Indian Air Force. Separately, the French state-run utility EDF is reported to be in active talks with Indian private companies on setting up nuclear power plants in India, following recent changes to the country’s nuclear liability laws.
Citing unnamed French diplomatic sources, the Tribune reported [archived] that Paris views its defence relationship with India not as a “customer-provider” arrangement but as a strategic partnership, with technology transfer and the “Make in India” programme central to the 114-jet deal. India had issued a formal letter of request to France for the aircraft around a year ago, after evaluating competing offers from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab, and Russian manufacturers as part of efforts to rebuild the Air Force’s depleted combat fleet.
Long road for 114-jet deal
India’s relationship with the Rafale dates back to 2016, when an inter-government agreement brought 36 jets into the Air Force under emergency provisions, after Modi’s government cancelled a troubled 2007 tender for 126 aircraft – a contract Rafale had originally won in 2013. Deliveries of the 36 jets began in 2020 and were completed by 2022, equipping two fighter squadrons.
A fresh procurement process for 114 jets under the “Make in India” framework began in April 2019. The plan envisages 96 of the aircraft being built in India in partnership with a domestic manufacturer, with at least 50% indigenous content and integration of India-developed data links for communication with domestic radars and sensors. France is expected to transfer engine, airframe, and avionics technology for the India-built jets, which would also carry locally developed weapons.
India has reportedly sought the newer F4 and F5 variants of the Rafale, an upgrade from the F3R standard currently in service, with engine technology from Safran and avionics from Thales, including a modern active electronically scanned array radar – under the broader Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project that has also been referenced in recent reporting.
Nuclear cooperation
On the nuclear front, EDF is reported to be in discussions with major Indian private companies seeking entry into the nuclear power sector, following the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, which opens the sector to private participation for the first time. A person familiar with the talks told Hindustan Times the discussions were at an early stage, with a clearer picture expected by the end of the year.
India and France have cooperated on civil nuclear energy for years, though funding and cost have been persistent obstacles – including at the long-stalled Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra. India is targeting an increase in nuclear power generation capacity to 100GW by 2047, up from the current 8.78GW.
At a briefing in New Delhi, the additional secretary (Europe West) in the external affairs ministry, Piyush Srivastava, said civil nuclear energy remained an area of strategic cooperation with France, with both countries now exploring private-sector opportunities including small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs) following the SHANTI Act.
Modi’s itinerary
Modi’s visit will take him to Nice on June 13–14 for bilateral talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, including the joint inauguration of Bharat Innovates – a three-day event under the India-France Year of Innovation showcasing Indian technology ventures from higher education and technical institutions. He then travels to Slovakia for a state visit on June 14–16, before returning to France for the G7 outreach sessions in Évian on June 16–17, where bilateral meetings with other world leaders – including a possible meeting with the US president, Donald Trump – are being explored. The visit concludes in Paris on June 18, with further bilateral engagements and participation in the VivaTech summit, Europe’s largest startup event.
Modi and Macron are expected to announce around a dozen new bilateral initiatives during the visit, spanning defence, nuclear energy, innovation, and critical technologies.
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