Beyond Rafale: India, France to sign landmark Hammer missile deal at Annual Defence Dialogue

“During the meeting, a defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another 10 years, with an MoU on Joint Venture for manufacturing of Hammer missiles likely to be signed in the presence of both Defence Ministers,” the statement said.

An announcement is also expected regarding the reciprocal deployment of officers between the Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments, the statement indicated.

Apart from the summit meetings, the visit of the French and Indian defence ministers to Karnataka will also feature their attendance in the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus in Kolar district’s Vemagal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron.

The defence summit continues the traditional defence ties between India and France, which have led to purchases of French fighter jets such as the Mirage 2000 and, in recent years, the Rafale for the Indian Air Force.

The current summit comes in the background of last week’s meeting of India’s Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Rajnath Singh, where the purchase of 114 Rafale fighters at a cost of ₹ 3.25 lakh crore was cleared to bolster the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s diminishing squadron strength.

The statement also said India and France have been regularly conducting three major exercises: Exercise Shakti with the Army, Exercise Varuna with the Navy, and Exercise Garuda with the Air Force, as well as several other opportunity engagements.

The government statement also said the recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marks a “significant step in deepening collective engagement with European nations”.