MUMBAI, INDIA – French President Emmanuel Macron launched his fourth visit to India since 2017 with high-profile diplomacy in Mumbai, aiming to seal a landmark deal for 114 Rafale fighter jets while advancing joint AI initiatives.
Macron arrived on February 16 amid prominent billboards featuring him alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, staying at the Taj Palace hotel with his wife Brigitte until February 18. The leaders are set to meet on February 17 for bilateral talks at Lok Bhavan, reviewing defense ties, the Horizon 2047 roadmap, and Indo-Pacific security, before inaugurating the India-France Year of Innovation 2026.
A defense ministry committee recently approved the $40 billion Rafale acquisition, India’s largest air force upgrade, though price negotiations, local production shares, and technology transfers remain key hurdles. France, India’s top arms supplier from 2020-24 per Stockholm International Peace Research Institute data, offers joint ventures like the Airbus-Tata helicopter facility, which Modi and Macron will virtually launch on February 17.
The visit underscores shifting geopolitics: India balances Russia and France as U.S. ties evolve, while Macron seeks domestic wins amid parliamentary woes. Their defense ministers will confer in Bengaluru to extend a 10-year cooperation pact, as Macron heads to New Delhi for the February 19 AI Impact Summit, following Modi’s honor at France’s 2025 event, to champion multipolar regulatory frameworks over U.S.-China dominance.