'Ground-breaking': India, France announce co-development of combat aircraft engine

India and France on Friday announced major decisions to take forward the strong partnership between the two countries, and said they will be jointly developing a combat aircraft engine.

"In the future, India and France will extend their ground-breaking defence cooperation in advanced aeronautical technologies by supporting the joint development of a combat aircraft engine," a joint statement by the two countries read.

A roadmap for this joint development project will be prepared between the French aviation company Safran and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) before the end of this year.

The announcement was made following bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to France.

Both countries also support industrial cooperation for the motorisation of heavy-lift helicopters under the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter [IMRH] programme with Safran Helicopter Engine, France.

"To enable progress on the IMRH programme, a shareholders’ agreement between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India and Safran Helicopter Engine, France has been concluded for engine development. These ventures are in line with the spirit of trust that prevails between India and France in the sharing and joint development of critical components and technology building blocks, based on the successful Indo-French experience in technology transfer," the statement read.

The statement made no mention of the highly anticipated procurement of 26 Rafale-M naval fighter jets. It just mentioned the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale ordered by India for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

PM Modi, at a joint press briefing, said defence ties have always been the basic pillar of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Prime Minister stressed that France is an important partner in the Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat programmes. "Be it submarines or naval aircraft, together we want to fulfil not just ours but also the requirements of other friendly countries," he said.

The Prime Minister spoke about terrorism, saying that India and France are together in the fight against terrorism. "We believe that strong action needs to be taken against cross-border terrorism," PM Modi said.

Also Read: Chinese auto major BYD's billion-dollar EV plan for India may hit a security roadblock: Report