Air Warfare, Global

The Naval variant of the Dassault Rafale. (Dassault Aviation/C. Cosmao)

PARIS — France will provide one other 26 Dassault Rafale fighter jets to India and is in discussions round a contract that might see Naval Group construct three extra diesel-electric Scorpene submarines, contracts that could possibly be price an estimated €9 billion ($10 billion).

The information comes within the wake of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day go to to Paris for the 14th July Bastille Day celebrations, the place India was visitor of honor. As a part of Modi’s go to, the 2 international locations launched a doc entitled “Horizon 2047,” concerning the future collaboration between the 2 sides — together with on protection points.

Both offers had been permitted by India’s Defense Acquisition Council and introduced by the Indian protection minister, however contracts between the businesses aren’t anticipated to be signed earlier than mid-2024.

France’s Naval Group and Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL) would be the prime contractors on the Scorpene submarines, though a spokesperson for Naval Group informed Breaking Defense that regardless of some stories, no Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the 2 sides — indicating that discussions are nonetheless within the earliest phases. A A Naval Group communiqué said merely that it welcomed the announcement “by Indian and French authorities regarding the extension of the Indo-French partnership and the objective to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian fleet and its performance.”

MDL constructed the Indian navy’s first six Scorpene, or Kalvari-class, submarines with Naval Group in a switch of know-how program know as P75 which was signed in 2005. Five Scorpene subs have already been commissioned, whereas the sixth has begun its sea trials and is scheduled for supply to the Indian Navy in early 2024.

One new MOU that was signed is between Naval Group and India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, masking know-how switch in order that the Indian firm can construct any of the ships of Naval Group’s Gowind household and promote them to 3rd international locations which can be pleasant to each France and India. That represents a possible main boon for India’s home ship constructing trade, in addition to serving to with advertising and marketing of Naval Group’s wares.

The two corporations have beforehand collaborated to construct 4 anti-submarine corvettes, often known as the Kamorta-class corvettes, that had been commissioned between 2014 and 2020.

The 26 Rafales, within the naval configuration, weren’t talked about within the leaders’ closing communique however a Dassault Aviation assertion was simple: “Following an international competition launched by the Indian authorities, this decision comes after a successful trial campaign held in India, during which the navy Rafale demonstrated that it fully met the Indian Navy’s operational requirements and was perfectly suited to the specificities of its aircraft carrier.” It added that “the Indian Navy’s 26 Rafale will eventually join the 36 Rafale already in service, which are giving full satisfaction to the Indian Air Force.”

The Dassault assertion underlined that India is the primary nation to make the identical navy alternative as France “by operating both versions of the aircraft to help consolidate its superiority in the air and on the seas.” India’s procurement of the Rafale was the results of a notoriously delayed effort, courting again to the late 2000s.

More broadly, the Horizon 2047 doc states that “both countries are also working towards adopting a Roadmap on Defense Industrial Cooperation” and notes that India “is setting up a Technical Office of the DRDO at its Embassy in Paris” in view of the “uptick in defense industrial collaborations.”

In addition, India and France will collectively design, develop, check, qualify, certify and produce a 110 Kilo-newton engine for India’s AMCA (superior medium fight plane), a fifth-generation stealth fighter. A roadmap for the venture can be ready by French plane engine producer Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) earlier than the top of this 12 months.

According to the Times of India “if the US has agreed to 80 percent transfer of technology (ToT) in the joint production of the GE-414 jet engine in the 98 Kilo-newton thrust class to power the indigenous Teja Mark-2 fighters, France is offering 100 percent ToT for a more powerful engine.”

France and India additionally agreed to cooperate for the motorization of heavy-lift helicopters underneath the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) program. “To enable progress on the IMRH program, a shareholders’ agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, India and Safran Helicopter Engine, France, has been concluded for engine development,” the Horizon 2047 doc says.

2047 not solely marks the fiftieth anniversary of the 2 international locations’ strategic partnership however can even mark India’s centennial anniversary of independence and a century of diplomatic relations between Paris and Delhi.