India is looking to join France’s sixth-generation fighter programme in a long-term bid to secure a role in the next era of air warfare, from advanced aircraft technology to the industrial work of designing and building future combat systems.
But analysts said the move, while potentially a major step in India’s defence partnership with France, would do little to ease the country’s immediate shortage of combat jets.
The defence ministry told Indian lawmakers last week that it had “initiated efforts” to join the Future Combat Air System (FCAS), a French-led programme aimed at developing the next generation of combat aircraft and connected air warfare systems.
Sixth-generation systems are expected to pair piloted fighter jets with drones, sensors and data networks, allowing aircraft to share information and coordinate strikes across the battlefield.
Antoine Levesques, senior fellow for South and Central Asian defence at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said FCAS was a logical “next step and step-change” for France-India strategic cooperation, but not a fix for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) current shortage.
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