Over the past decade, France has emerged as India's second largest arms supplier after Russia. From jets to submarines and helicopters, the two countries are now gearing up for more
For long, France has been India’s tested partner in the West. Even before the famed Rafale aircraft deal brought the countries significantly closer, France and India had struck a deal in 1998 for a strategic partnership in areas such as defence, space cooperation, and civil nuclear cooperation. That deal had come amidst a US sanction on India after the country tested nuclear weapons.