Face of Nation : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh concluded the annual India-France Defence Dialogue with French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly in Paris, with enhanced strategic ties on top of his agenda. Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to France, which will cover a tour of a facility owned by French multinational Safran – the company which produces the engines for the Rafale fighter jets – this morning.
Mr Singh was received by a military guard of honour at Hotel de Brienne, the headquarters of the French Armed Forces ministry in Paris, on Tuesday night at end of a packed day’s schedule during which he received the delivery of the first Rafale combat jet for the Indian Air Force or IAF.
“This marks a new milestone in the Indo-French strategic partnership and indeed a new high in the bilateral defence cooperation. Such achievements encourage us to do more and that will be on my agenda when I meet minister Parly,” Rajnath Singh said, just before he performed the ‘Shastra Puja’ on the new Rafale aircraft and flying a sortie in it.
He will conclude his tour with a meeting with captains of French business and industry around the merits of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, during which he will also extend a formal invitation for them to participate in the DefExpo to be held in Lucknow from February 5 to 8, 2020.
Ranath Singh had kick-started his busy schedule with a meeting at Elysee Palace with French President Emmanuel Macron for talks described as a “warm and productive”, as both leaders resolved to take the India-France relationship to a higher level.
“This aircraft marks a massive enhancement in the Indian Air Force combat capability but that enhancement is not for attack purposes but as a deterrent for self defence. And, the credit for this milestone goes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose decisiveness has made this crucial air enhancement possible today,” Rajnath Singh said after a 25-minute sortie in the aircraft.
Mr Singh has said he expects the first 18 aircraft to be delivered by February 2021, with the remaining expected by April-May 2022. The 36 high-precision Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, which include 13 India-specific enhancements sought by the IAF, are destined for Ambala in Punjab and Hasimara in West Bengal.
