French President Emmanuel Macron started a three-day trip to India on Tuesday hoping to convince Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to close a deal for 114 Rafale jets for about €30 billion ($35.4 billion).
India, which has purchased 52 of the jets since 2015, would become the world's top buyer of French Rafale jets, boosting Mr Macron's legacy as he struggles with financial strains and a fragmented political landscape back home. Relations between the countries are in a “remarkable phase of acceleration”, Mr Macron said at a joint press conference with Mr Modi after a meeting in Mumbai.
France is "proud to be a trusted partner” for India, the French leader added. “This is the meaning of our co-operation, in particular when it comes to defence, and I must mention here the Rafale fighter jets as well as submarines.”
Despite a string of announcements, including a pact to jointly manufacture Hammer missiles in India, there was no reference on Tuesday to a new deal on Rafale jets.
Earlier this month, a committee led by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh cleared the acquisition, although several steps remain before a formal contract is signed, including negotiations over price and local production. It would be a “historic” contract, an adviser to Mr Macron said before the trip.
Sales of Rafale jets are a source of national prestige for France as it seeks to lead European military sales against US competition. Last month, the UAE received its first batch of French fighter jets under a $17.3 billion defence deal. In November, Ukraine promised to buy 100 Rafale jets over the next decade.
Mr Modi greeted the French President warmly on Tuesday. Indian authorities sought to highlight good relations between the two leaders with giant billboards in Mumbai showing them shaking hands.
“This partnership is not only strategic in the current unstable situation,” Mr Modi said. “It is a partnership for global stability and progress on a global scale.”
He was speaking after the two leaders virtually inaugurated a military helicopter assembly centre, a joint venture between the European aerospace giant Airbus SE and India’s Tata Group.
“The inauguration today of a helicopter assembly line in India is another example of our deep mutual trust,” Mr Modi said. “We are proud that India and France are collaborating to manufacture in India the only helicopter in the world capable of flying over the summit of Mount Everest, and we will export it from here to all corners of the globe.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Macron caused a stir by stepping out for a jog on Marine Drive, the arc-shaped promenade in Mumbai along the Arabian Sea. Mr Macron and his wife Brigitte also met Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor and Shabana Azmi.
Artificial intelligence will also be high on the agenda of Mr Macron, for whom this is the fourth trip to India since 2017. On Wednesday he is scheduled to inaugurate a French-Indian AI health centre in New Delhi and take part in the India AI impact summit on Thursday.
Separately, the two countries’ defence ministers will meet in Bengaluru to discuss security ties. The two nations are expected to renew a defence co-operation agreement for another 10 years, India’s Ministry of Defence said.
For India, France has become a vital defence partner alongside Russia. France has offered joint production and technology transfers that support India's goal of strengthening its domestic arms industry. “The local aspect of future Rafale contracts would indeed be very important and that is part of the interest of the Indians in this prospect,” the Elysee adviser said.
