Defence Ministers Of India, France To Discuss Industrial Collaboration In Bengaluru On Feb 17

New Delhi: India and France will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral defence cooperation, with focus on expanding industrial collaboration during the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru on February 17. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will co-chair the meeting with Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin.

During the meeting, a key area of discussion will be defence cooperation and expansion of industrial collaboration. A defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another 10 years and an MoU on Joint Venture for manufacturing of Hammer missiles is likely to be signed in the presence of the two Defence Ministers. An announcement is also expected with respect to reciprocal deployment of officers at the Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments, stated a release issued by the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

On the occasion, the two Ministers are also expected to witness the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Vemagal in Karnataka.

This would be the maiden visit of Catherine Vautrin to India after she took over as the French Defence Minister on October 12, 2025. The India-France Annual Defence Dialogue is a structured ministerial-level bilateral meeting to review and guide defence and security cooperation. The 5th edition of the meeting was held in France from October 11-13, 2023.

Defence has traditionally formed an important pillar of the relationship between the two countries. The strong and enduring bilateral ties were vividly reflected in 2024-2025 through a series of high-profile exchanges.

The recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marks a significant step in deepening collective engagement with European nations. Military-to-Military cooperation is on an increase. India and France have been regularly carrying out three major exercises, Exercise Shakti with Army, Exercise Varuna with Navy, and Exercise Garuda with Air Force, and several other opportunity engagements.

PM Modi was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023 while the French President graced the Republic Day Parade 2024 as the Chief Guest.

Also Read

1. We Are Determined, Committed To Taking India To Next Level In Defence Tech: DRDO DG Binay Kumar Das
2. Rajnath Singh-Led DAC Clears Rs 3.60 Lakh Crore Defence Proposals Including Procurement Of 114 Rafales