News Brief
France Eyes India’s Pinaka Rocket Launcher System, Talks In Advanced Stages: Report
Pinaka (File Photo)
France is reportedly in advanced negotiations with India to acquire the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system, marking a potential milestone in defence cooperation between the two nations, news agency Reuters reported citing a top Indian official.
If finalised, this deal would represent the first-ever weapons purchase by France from India, which has traditionally been a major arms importer to New Delhi rather than an exporter, according to the report.
The Pinaka rocket system, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has a range of up to 90 km and has been battle-tested by the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.
According to an official cited in the report, a French delegation visited India three months ago for a demonstration of the Pinaka system, and the results were found to be satisfactory
"France is in active talks for Pinaka," Ummalaneni Raja Babu, Director General of Missiles and Strategic Systems at DRDO, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
While no formal agreement has been reached yet, the discussions are ongoing.
France is India’s second-largest arms supplier after Russia, accounting for significant defence exports between 2019 and 2023, as per data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ongoing visit to France, where he is co-chairing an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron, has sparked speculation about whether defence cooperation, including the Pinaka deal, will be discussed in bilateral talks.
