What happened:
On February 17, India and France signed two MoUs during the 6th Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, co-chaired by Rajnath Singh and Catherine Vautrin. The agreements cover renewal of a 10-year defence cooperation pact and a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Limited and Safran Electronics & Defense to manufacture Hammer missiles.
Why it matters:
The MoUs strengthen the India–France strategic defence partnership, boosting co-production, technology collaboration and joint capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.