France and India agree to jointly build aircraft engine

India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that France will build an aircraft engine in collaboration with India.

“[The] French Defence Minister [has] agreed to build the engine with us, so far not made in India. A major French company will come to India and make the engine in strategic partnership with an Indian company,” a report in The Hindu quoted Singh as saying. The minister fell short of giving out details of the proposed development.

The strategic partnership involves co-production by the original equipment manufacturer and an Indian company.

Singh’s announcement comes a day after he held an annual defense dialogue with his French counterpart Florence Parly in New Delhi. The defense minister pushed French defense firms to either collaborate with Indian companies or produce in India.