Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF), has concluded a three-day official visit to France, reaffirming the strong and longstanding strategic partnership between the IAF and the French Air and Space Force (AAEF).
During the visit, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh held bilateral discussions with General Jérôme Bellanger at the AAEF Headquarters in Balard. The IAF Chief was accorded military honours and received a ceremonial Guard of Honour, reflecting the close defence ties between the two nations.
The discussions focused on enhancing air force-to-air force cooperation, strengthening operational collaboration and expanding avenues for future military engagement between India and France.
As part of his engagements, the Air Chief also met General Vincent Giraud and addressed officers, including Indian exchange officer cadets, at the prestigious École de Guerre located at the École Militaire in Paris.
The visit included a tour of the Mont-de-Marsan Air Combat Centre, one of France’s premier combat aviation facilities. Air Chief Marshal Singh also undertook a familiarisation flight aboard the Airbus A400M Atlas from Orléans Air Base, gaining insights into French air mobility operations and capabilities.
In addition to military engagements, the IAF Chief interacted with senior representatives of major French defence companies, including Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran and MBDA. The discussions focused on technological cooperation, capability enhancement and opportunities to further support India’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem under the Make in India initiative.
The visit underscored the growing strategic convergence between India and France in the aerospace and defence domains and reaffirmed the commitment of both nations to deepen military cooperation, technological collaboration and interoperability in support of regional and global security.
