Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on October 11, 2023, visited the Safran Engine Division's R&D Centre at Gennevilliers near Paris, France during the second and final leg of his two-nation tour. During his visit to the Centre, he witnessed the latest developments in aero-engine technology. Olivier Andries, Global CEO Safran welcomed the Defence Minister to the facility and, along with his team, gave a detailed briefing to him. Safran expressed interest in being a part of the Indian growth story by working with its counterparts on mutually agreed joint projects.

The Defence Minister also met with the CEOs of the top French defence companies with a focus on their plans for collaboration with India. Eric Trappier, CEO Dassault; Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO Naval Group; Guillaume Faury, CEO Airbus; and Olivier Andries, CEO Safran Group were present during the interaction. Rajnath Singh highlighted the advantages of co-development and co-production in India, including possibilities of exports to third countries. He underlined the inherent advantages of Indian market such as a large, skilled HR base, world class infrastructure and a strong legal architecture.

Later in the day, Rajnath Singh will be holding the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue with the French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu.

The Defence Minister reached Paris late on October 10 and interacted with the Indian community. While addressing the sizeable Indian community at the India House, he highlighted the various achievements of India in the defence sector such as increased defence exports, increasing indigenous production of defence equipment, concerted efforts on co-development and co-production in India and an enhanced outreach in the region. The Defence Minister spoke about the tremendous progress achieved in India in the last nine years, an assessment which was heartily supported by the Indian community.