India & France Set to Renew 10-Year Defence Pact; Hammer Missile Joint Venture on Agenda

Indian and French Defence Ministers, Rajnath Singh and Catherine Vautrin, will hold their annual defence dialogue in Bengaluru to review bilateral cooperation and expand industrial collaboration.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Minister Catherine Vautrin will hold the annual defence dialogue at Bengaluru in Karnataka on Tuesday to review the entire gamut of bilateral defence cooperation, with focus on expanding industrial collaboration.

Vautrin is accompanying the French president, Emanuel Macron on his 3-day visit to India. During Rajnath – Vautrin meeting in Bengaluru, the two sides will renew the defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years, with an memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint venture for manufacturing of Hammer precision weapon to be signed.

“An announcement is also expected with respect to reciprocal deployment of officers at the Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments,” an official said.

The two defence ministers will also witness the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Vemagal, Karnataka.

Know about Hammer precision-guided munition

Developed by Safran, the Hammer – officially known as AASM (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire) – is a modular precision-guided weapon designed for high accuracy and extended range.

Having capability to strike targets from distances of up to 70 kilometres, the Hammer weapon depend on launch conditions, allowing aircraft to engage enemy positions without entering heavily defended airspace.

The French-made weapon system is currently integrated into the Indian Air Force’s Rafale fighter aircraft.

In November 2025, state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and French firm Safran Electronics and Defense (SED) had inked a joint venture cooperation agreement (JVCA) for the manufacturing of Hammer smart precision-guided air-to-ground weapon system, in India.

The agreement formalizes the intent expressed in the MoU signed between BEL and SED on February 11, 2025 during Aero India.

The joint venture cooperation is to be formed as a private limited company with 50:50 shareholding. The Hammer will be integrated with Rafale fighters of the Indian Air Force and Navy’s Rafale Marine aircraft, to meet operational needs of the two services.

Defence has traditionally formed an important pillar of the relationship between the two countries. The strong and enduring bilateral ties were vividly reflected in 2024-2025 through a series of high-profile exchanges.

Prime Minister Modi was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023, before the French President graced the Republic Day Parade 2024 as the Chief Guest.

“The recent India-EU Security & Defence Partnership marks a significant step in deepening collective engagement with European nations. Military-to-Military cooperation is on an increase. India and France have been regularly carrying out three major exercises - Exercise Shakti with Army, Exercise Varuna with Navy, and Exercise Garuda with Air Force, and several other opportunity engagements.”

This would be the maiden visit of Catherine Vautrin to India after she took over as the French Defence Minister on October 12, 2025.

“The India-France Annual Defence Dialogue is a structured ministerial-level bilateral meeting to review and guide defence & security cooperation. The 5th edition of the meeting was held in France from October 11-13, 2023.”