French President Emmanuel Macron is set to begin a four-day visit to India on Monday to give a fresh push for bilateral defence cooperation. Key discussions will focus on joint manufacturing of helicopters and HAMMER precision-guided missiles.

Ahead of the visit, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will co-chair the 6th India–France Annual Defence Dialogue with his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin. The two ministers are also set to witness the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter final assembly line of Tata Airbus at Vemagal in Karnataka.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron may announce a major deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets under the Make in India initiative, as New Delhi accelerates military modernisation. The leaders will also discuss expanding defence industrial collaboration through technology transfer and joint production.

France is currently India’s second-largest defence supplier, and the partnership is set to widen into areas such as nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and joint projects in third countries.

The India–France AI roadmap seeks to promote safe and ethical development of emerging technologies.

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