France is in advanced negotiations with India to acquire the Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher system, marking a potential milestone in bilateral defence ties. The deal was a key topic of discussion between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting on Wednesday in Paris. PM Modi invited the French Army to evaluate the system further, emphasizing its capabilities and strategic value.
Modi “invited the French Army to take a closer look at the Pinaka MBRL, emphasising that an acquisition of this system by France would be another milestone in Indo-French defence ties”, said a joint statement issued on Wednesday.
Developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Pinaka system ranges up to 75 km. A French delegation visited India three months ago for a live demonstration, and according to a top DRDO official reported by Reuters, the results were deemed satisfactory.
India has been actively promoting the Pinaka MBRL as a cost-effective and advanced alternative to Western systems like the US-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System). Armenia recently placed an order with Solar Industries, the manufacturer of the Pinaka, and several nations—including ASEAN and African countries—have expressed interest. Negotiations with Nigeria and Indonesia are reportedly in advanced stages.
Meanwhile, India and France continue to expand their defence cooperation. The India-France joint statement highlighted discussions on missiles, helicopter engines, and jet engine development. A proposed collaboration between French aerospace giant Safran and DRDO to co-develop a 110 kN jet engine for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) remains under discussion.
However, India’s planned acquisitions of 26 Rafale-Marine jets and three additional Scorpene submarines—to be built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in partnership with Naval Group—were not mentioned in the joint statement, as they await final approval from the PM-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).
If concluded, the Pinaka deal would mark France’s first-ever arms purchase from India, reversing the traditional India-France defence trade dynamic, where France has been India’s second-largest arms supplier after Russia. According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), France accounted for a significant share of India’s defence imports between 2019 and 2023.
Ravi Shankar
