Land Warfare

Atul Chandra

France has a longstanding defence partnership with India, emerging as one of its key defence partners since the eighties. However, the defence relationship between the two nations, goes back much further. The first significant Indian orders for French military equipment were placed in 1953, when the Indian Air Force (IAF) ordered the MD-450 Ouragan fighter aircraft from Dassault Aviation. This was followed by follow-on purchases in 1956 for Mystere fighter aircraft (also from Dassault) and AMX-13/Model-51 light tanks.

Renault Sherpa at IGI Airport, Delhi

Orders for the Alize Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) aircraft in 1959 ensured that French defence equipment would now be operational with all three wings of the Indian armed forces. This was followed by larger orders for the SA 316 Alouette III in the early sixties. The first SA 316 Alouette IIIs (known as Chetak in Indian service) were inducted into the Indian armed forces in 1962. Following the incorporation of a license production agreement, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) went on to produce 650 Chetaks and Cheetahs (Alouette II). These helicopters are celebrating 60 years of operations with the Indian armed forces this year.

An important change in arms transactions between the two nations has been the shift from the traditional ‘buyer-seller’ relationship that existed all these years, to a more partnership-based defence procurement approach in recent years. However, while France remains one of India’s main arms partners and the strategic prospects, sales of land systems, despite the promise of large orders have been stymied by the often long and complex acquisition procedures now endemic to India’s procurement process.

As a result, while French defence equipment is a key aspect of the IAF arsenal and the Scorpene is the pride of the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet,