India, France renew defence cooperation for 10 years

India and France renewed the defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) at the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru.

In the meeting, co-chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin, India asked France to increase “indigenous content” in the Rafale by up to 50%, and also expand the Rafale’s maintenance, repair and overhaul facility in India.

The cooperation agreement was signed by India’s Defence Secretary and France’s Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy. Besides, both countries announced Reciprocal Deployment Officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.

The two Ministers discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of equipment.

The Defence Ministry said the two leaders emphasised on the need for a closer defence partnership, connecting industries of both nations, especially in the field of niche technology. It said the two Ministers reaffirmed the commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.

Mr. Singh said the recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marked a significant step in deepening the collective engagement. “Both Ministers agreed to leverage this framework, both bilaterally and in the wider European context for tangible outcomes that will strengthen regional stability, enhance joint capabilities, and reinforce the enduring Indo-French strategic alignment,” the Ministry said.

An MoU on Joint Venture was also signed for the manufacturing of Hammer missiles in India between the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Limited and Executive Vice President, Safran Electronics and Defence.

Mr. Singh emphasised that India has been the first responder and net security provider for countries in the Indian Ocean Region and always extends assistance to them in the defence, security and maritime domains to augment their capabilities and ward off any adversary.

On terrorism, he said Pakistan has a long history of nurturing cross-border terrorism to create disturbance and violence in India. “This has created a serious threat to peace in the region,” he said.