India has asked France to increase the quantum of Indigenous Content under the ‘Make in India’ plan for assembly the Rafale aircraft for the air force.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin during their meeting in New Delhi recently “to raise India-made component” in the 114-aircraft Rafale deal to “up to 50%.”
The two leaders had met during delegational talks on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to New Delhi earlier this week.
They co-chaired the annual defence dialogue on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) and discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of military equipment.
A Defence Ministry statement then had said the two sides emphasised the need for a closer defence partnership and connecting the industries of both nations, especially in the field of niche technology.
According senior Indian Defence Ministry officials, Rajnath Singh strongly pitched enhancing indigenous content in the Rafale assembled in India to around 50%.
He also asked for a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul facility for the various French-origin aeroengines being used by the Indian military aircraft in India.
In Bengaluru, during the sixth India-France Annual Defence Dialogue, Rajnath Singh told Vautrin to “try to ensure that engines of the (fighter) planes are made and overhauled in India. “This will help our ‘Make in India’ effort,” he was quoted as saying.
Only last week, the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Rajnath Singh, had accepted the necessity proposed by the Indian Air Force for buying 114 Rafale aircraft under a ‘Make in India’ project for around 90 aircraft.
France also renewed a 10-year agreement for deepening defence cooperation with India, apart from reciprocal deployment of its military officers.
It also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for manufacturing the Hammer missiles in India under a joint venture between Indian state-run Bharat Electronics Limited and French aerospace and defence major Safran.
Rajnath Singh also noted on the occasion that France would invest nearly Rs 1,000 crore in setting up the Airbu H125 helicopters in a location on the outskirts of Bengaluru to create jobs.
He called the H125 project a “shining example” of mutually beneficial partnership with friendly countries in high-end manufacturing sector.
From Mumbai, ,Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Macron had virtually inaugurated the Airbus H125 Final Assembly Line at Tata‑Airbus facility at Vemagal Industrial Area.