Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and DRDO Chairman Samir V. Kamat during their visit to DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment facility to review the status of ongoing projects relating to indigenous military gas turbine engine development, in Bengaluru on Monday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
The 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue will be held in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will co-chair the meeting with Minister for Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs of France Catherine Vautrin during which they will review the bilateral defence cooperation, with focus on expanding industrial collaboration.
According to the Ministry of Defence, a defence cooperation agreement is expected to be renewed for another 10 years, with an MoU on Joint Venture for manufacturing of Hammer missiles, likely to be signed during the meeting in the presence of both Defence Ministers.
“An announcement is also expected with respect to reciprocal deployment of officers at the Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments,” the Ministry said.
The two Ministers will also witness the virtual inauguration of the H125 Light Utility Helicopter Final Assembly of Tata Airbus by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron at Vemagal, Karnataka.
This would be the maiden visit of Ms. Vautrin to India after she took over as the French Defence Minister on October 12, 2025.
A Guard of Honour ceremony will be accorded to Ms. Vautrin on her arrival at the HAL Airport.
Must begin development of 6th gen jet engines
On Monday, Mr. Singh visited the DRDO’s Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) in Bengaluru, and reviewed the status of ongoing projects relating to indigenous military gas turbine engine development.
Interacting with the scientists and officials, Mr. Singh said, “We are rapidly moving towards the design and development of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). We have made numerous attempts in the past to achieve expertise in the field of aero engines. Now, the time has come to complete those efforts. We cannot limit ourselves to only 5th generation engines. We must begin the development of 6th generation, advanced technologies as soon as possible. Research on them is the need of the hour. The use of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and new materials is increasing. We must stay ahead of the curve.”
The Defence Minister said that even developed nations often take 25 to 30 years to develop next-generation engines.
He urged Indian scientists to compress timelines in view of the nation’s strategic needs. “We must assume that 20 years have already passed and we now have only five to seven years left,” he said.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, he said the defence forces demonstrated India’s growing self relience in the defence sector. “Whether it was communication systems, surveillance equipment, or attack weapons, everything was indigenous. This boosted the morale of our soldiers and instilled pride among citizens. In view of the evolving challenges, it is imperative to focus more on indigenous methods and provide our forces with world-class systems and equipment,” he said.
Published – February 16, 2026 07:14 pm IST
