During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to France, both India and France are expected to explore closer ties in various fields including space, military, emerging technologies, and energy. Prime Minister Modi will attend the Bastille Day Parade in Paris on July 13 and 14, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the India-France strategic partnership, further highlighting the significance of the visit.
Discussions during bilateral meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron will cover both traditional areas of cooperation such as defence, as well as emerging areas like space. While defense, space, and civil nuclear sectors have been key pillars of the strategic alliance, there has been a significant focus on space-related activities.
The National Centre for Space Studies of France and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have established an Indo-French working group to collaborate on India’s human spaceflight mission Gaganyaan. The discussions may involve expanding this collaboration, including the possibility of the French space agency testing critical propulsion technologies used in Gaganyaan.
In 2018, India and France signed important agreements outlining their cooperative vision for space cooperation across multiple domains. In 2022, they established a bilateral strategic dialogue to enhance coordination between their space and defense agencies, with the first round of talks held in Paris last month.
Noteworthy collaborations include Dhruva Space partnering with France-based satellite operator Kinéis to develop space and ground infrastructure, and Mumbai-based Manastu Space supporting the development of propulsion systems for French business Venture Orbital Systems.
One of the key highlights of the visit is the expected deal between India and France for the procurement of 26 Dassault Rafale-Maritime (M) fighters. Reports suggest that the French government has authorized defense major Safran to jointly design, develop, test, manufacture, and certify an engine that will power India’s advanced multi-role combat aircraft and deck-based fighter for Indian aircraft carriers. Safran had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics to co-develop an engine.
Similar to the recent visit to the United States, the visit to France will focus on strengthening technological ties, with an emphasis on technology transfer. The collaboration between India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing and French information technology company ATOS to develop supercomputers in India will be explored during the visit.
Collaboration in 5G and 6G telecommunications technologies may also be announced between the two countries.
According to the French embassy in New Delhi, more than 600 French subsidiaries operate in India across various sectors, with over 1,000 offices and facilities, employing approximately 400,000 people.
