India and France boost defence ties with missile pact

Bharat Electronics

17/02/2026 14:18

MUMBAI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - India and France agreed on Tuesday to boost their defence and aerospace partnership with a pact to jointly manufacture HAMMER missiles in India and the launch of the first assembly line in India for a jointly produced helicopter.

French President Emmanuel Macron is on a three-day visit to India and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai on Tuesday. Here are some details on the visit.

India's state-owned Bharat Electronics BAJE.NS and France's Safran SAF.PA will produce HAMMER missiles in India, New Delhi said.

Macron and Modi also announced the first H125 helicopter assembly line, made in India by a joint venture between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems.

The two countries will amend protocols on double tax avoidance to align with international standards and support companies in expanding their operations, India's foreign ministry said.

There was no mention of the Rafale jet, which was among the items cleared by the Indian defence ministry last week.

The French president will participate in the AI Impact Summit being hosted by India in New Delhi.

 (Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar
Editing by Gareth Jones)

 ((shilpa.jamkhandikar@thomsonreuters.com;))