India and France Agree on Joint Production of Defense Equipment

New Delhi indicated that "India and France have agreed to work together on the joint production of defense equipment, particularly helicopters and submarines, for the Indian armed forces and production for friendly countries." The government noted in a statement that "the agreement was reached late last night during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, who met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by the country's President Droupadi Murmu." It added that "Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral relations in the fields of defense production, nuclear energy, space research, and the use of artificial intelligence in public services such as climate change, health, and agriculture." France ranks second after Russia as the largest arms supplier to India, which has relied on French fighter jets for four decades. The bilateral summit between Modi and Macron took place during the French president's 40-hour visit, marking their fifth meeting since May.