India, France renew defence cooperation pact for 10 more years; Hammer missiles to be made in India

BENGALURU: India and France Tuesday renewed their defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years, announced reciprocal deployment of army officers, and advanced plans to manufacture Hammer missiles in India, as the two sides sought to deepen military and industrial ties.Defence minister Rajnath Singh and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin co-chaired the 6th India–France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru. As per the ministry of defence (MoD), the structured ministerial meeting reviewed ongoing cooperation and set priorities for co-development and co-production of defence equipment.Singh said military-to-military engagement remains a central pillar of the India–France strategic partnership.

He pointed to the recent India–EU Security and Defence Partnership as a platform that could be leveraged for deeper bilateral and wider European cooperation to strengthen regional stability and joint capabilities.MoD said Vautrin, on her first visit to India as defence minister, welcomed the decision to convert Exercise Shakti between the two armies from a biennial to an annual exercise.A key outcome was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics & Defense to establish a joint venture for manufacturing Hammer missiles in India.

The move is expected to strengthen India’s precision-strike capabilities while aligning with its push for domestic production.“The two ministers also oversaw the renewal of the 10-year defence cooperation framework. The agreement was signed by India’s defence secretary and the French Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy,” as per the ministry of defence (MoD)Both sides agreed to reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments, a step aimed at enhancing operational understanding and interoperability.The dialogue also touched on regional security. Singh said India continues to act as a “first responder” and “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), assisting partner countries in defence and maritime security.On terrorism, he accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism, calling it a threat to regional peace. “Pakistan has a long history of nurturing, nourishing, and promoting cross-border terrorism to create disturbance and violence in India.

This has created a serious threat to peace in the region,” Singh said.Earlier in the day, Vautrin was accorded a Guard of Honour at the HAL airport, on arrival in Bengaluru. “The annual defence dialogue serves as the principal mechanism for reviewing and guiding the expanding defence partnership between the two countries,” MoD said in a statement.