 "French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu attends a joint press statement after talks about strengthening security and defence in Europe, at Ministry of Defence in Berlin, Germany, on November 25, 2024. Reuters File")
France’s Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu has postponed his planned visit to India, originally scheduled for April 27, where he was expected to preside over the signing of a €7 billion agreement for 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets, defence sources told News18.
While the reason for the delay is unknown, the delay does come at a moment of heightened security sensitivity in India, following a deadly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam region that killed dozens of civilians.
Rafale-M signing
The high-level visit, which had been months in the making, was meant to signal the culmination of negotiations between India and France over the procurement of Dassault Aviation’s carrier-borne Rafale Marine fighters. The Indian Navy selected the French jets over Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet following rigorous trials to modernise its naval air fleet.
India’s decision to go with the Rafale M is seen as a major boost to French defence exports and a reaffirmation of New Delhi’s strategic trust in Paris.
The omnirole fighter aircraft that the Indian Navy will get would be tailored to for operations from India’s aircraft carriers, including the indigenously-built INS Vikrant.
Powered by two Snecma M88-2 afterburning turbofans, the Rafale-M is reportedly capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 1.8 (approximately 1,912 kilometres per hour).
Macron, Modi and a message of solidarity
In a separate development, in a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Macron offered his condolences over the Pahalgam massacre, in which gunmen targeted a group of tourists in what India has described as a state-sponsored act of terrorism.
“This kind of barbarism is totally unacceptable,” Macron reportedly said, expressing France’s “full solidarity with India in its fight against terrorism.”
With inputs from agencies