India pitches to join Future Combat Air System with France
The Hindu
India seeks to join France's Future Combat Air System program, enhancing defense collaboration amid record defense exports.
At the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, this Feburary, India expressed its interest in joining France’s futuristic sixth-generation fighter jet programme.
The proposal was discussed in a meeting by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, where Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin were also present.
According to official sources, Mr. Singh presented India’s intent to participate in the co-development and co-manufacture of a sixth-generation combat aircraft under the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme.
The ambitious project was originally launched by France and Germany in 2017, with Spain joining the initiative in 2019. India’s participation would mark a significant expansion of defence-industrial cooperation between New Delhi and Paris.
The FCAS programme aims to develop a next-generation air combat system centred around a sixth-generation fighter, supported by unmanned systems and advanced network-centric warfare capabilities.
In addition to discussions on advanced fighter collaboration, India also pitched for the export of India’s indigenous Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system to France. Sources indicated that dialogs on the potential sale progressed positively.
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