India- French Defense Minister inaugurated the assembly line of Airbus H-125 helicopter…

By Samira Vishwas On Feb 17, 2026

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin inaugurated the final assembly line of the Airbus H-125 helicopter in Vemagal, Karnataka. Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh was also present on this occasion.

Let us tell you, French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin described India-France defense cooperation as an important and dynamic partnership. He wrote on social media platform

As part of the official visit of the President of the Republic to India, he is in Bangalore on the banks of @rajnathsinghIndian Minister of Defence, to illustrate the strength of our defense cooperation.
Deep, dynamic and ambitious, the defense cooperation… pic.twitter.com/uYQdRuEKuU
— Catherine Vautrin (@CaVautrin) February 17, 2026

Let us tell you, while addressing the inauguration ceremony, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said, “In the final assembly line which is being inaugurated today, there is a possibility of investment of more than Rs 1000 crore in the H-125 program, which will create new employment opportunities in India. This investment will be especially beneficial for our young generation.”

The Defense Minister further said that privatization in the Indian defense sector has gained momentum and has contributed significantly to the growth of the sector. He said that earlier most of the Indian defense production was in the public sector, but now the contribution of the private sector has increased significantly. With this change, India has today become one of the top defense exporters.

He also said, “There has been a qualitative increase in our defense exports, which has also benefited Indian MSMEs and supporting sectors. A large number of foreign companies are now purchasing various components from Indian MSMEs. We invite these companies to further strengthen this partnership through technology transfer and provide advanced solutions to meet the security needs of other countries.”

This visit of French Defense Minister Vautrin took place with French President Emmanuel Macron. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Macron in Mumbai on Tuesday, discussing measures to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. The talks took place at Maharashtra Lok Bhawan, in which both the leaders discussed various mutual interests.

With this initiative, the direction and pace of defense cooperation between India and France will take on new dimensions, and the strategic partnership between the two countries will deepen.