Mumbai: In a significant boost to India–France strategic cooperation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday virtually inaugurated the H-125 helicopter final assembly line, a major step forward in India’s aerospace manufacturing ambitions.
The unit has been set up at Vemagal in Karnataka under the Tata-Airbus partnership, marking India’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line.
Partnership Elevated
Addressing the joint press conference, Prime Minister Modi described France as a “special partner” and announced that bilateral ties have been elevated to a Special Global Strategic Partnership, calling it a force for global stability in uncertain times.
Highlighting the importance of the project, Modi said India and France will now manufacture the H-125 helicopter in India — a platform capable of operating at extreme high altitudes, including conditions comparable to Mount Everest. He noted that the new assembly line blends France’s technological expertise with India’s manufacturing scale.
Addressing the joint press meet with President Emmanuel Macron.@EmmanuelMacron https://t.co/FuX0qSUyw7
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2026
Macron Calls Ties ‘Unique’
President Emmanuel Macron termed the India–France relationship “unique,” built on trust, openness and shared ambition. He expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries — particularly in the Indo-Pacific, artificial intelligence and clean energy — will deepen further in the coming years.
After the talks and press statements at Lok Bhavan in Mumbai, President Macron and I are on the way to the other programmes, which include the India-France Innovation Forum.@EmmanuelMacron pic.twitter.com/v2PKPEgP1o
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2026
21 Agreements to Deepen Cooperation
India and France exchanged 21 agreements and outcome documents spanning defence, energy, innovation, health and critical minerals.
Key outcomes include:
- Establishment of an annual Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue to review the Horizon 2047 roadmap
- Launch of the India–France Year of Innovation and the Innovation Network
- Renewal of the bilateral defence cooperation agreement
- Joint venture between BEL and Safran to produce HAMMER missiles in India
- Reciprocal deployment of officers between the Indian Army and French Land Forces
- Formation of a Joint Advanced Technology Development Group
Focus on Emerging Technologies
The leaders also announced several forward-looking collaborations, including:
- Indo-French Centre for AI in Health at AIIMS, New Delhi
- Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology
- Centre on Advanced Materials between DST and CNRS
- Cooperation in infectious diseases and global health research
- Indo-French Centre for Metabolic Health Sciences
- National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics
Both nations further agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals, biotechnology, renewable energy and advanced materials, signalling a broad-based expansion of the partnership beyond defence.
Strategic Signal
Officials said the upgraded partnership reflects growing alignment between India and France on global security, trusted technologies and resilient supply chains.
With the H-125 assembly line at Vemagal now operational, India is poised to strengthen its indigenous aerospace manufacturing capability and emerge as an important hub in the global helicopter supply chain.
