India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin will co-chair the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on February 17, 2026.
The structured ministerial-level meeting will review the full spectrum of bilateral defence and security cooperation, with particular emphasis on expanding industrial collaboration between the two nations.
During the dialogue, a defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another 10 years. An MoU for a joint venture to manufacture Hammer missiles is also likely to be signed in the presence of both defence ministers.
An announcement is also anticipated on the reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.
The two ministers are expected to virtually witness the inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly Line set up by Tata Airbus at Vemagal in Karnataka. The facility will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Defence cooperation has long been a key pillar of India-France relations. The strength of bilateral ties was clearly visible during 2024–2025 through several high-level exchanges.
Prime Minister Modi attended the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023 as Guest of Honour, while President Macron was the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day Parade in 2024.
The recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marked an important step in strengthening engagement with European countries. Military-to-military cooperation between India and France has steadily grown over the years.
The two countries regularly conduct three major joint exercises, Exercise Shakti between the armies, Exercise Varuna between the navies, and Exercise Garuda between the air forces, along with several other defence engagements.
This will be Catherine Vautrin’s first visit to India since she assumed office as French Defence Minister on October 12, 2025.
The 5th edition of the India-France Annual Defence Dialogue was held in France from October 11 to 13, 2023.
