Seven decades of fighter jet deals, numerous governments, and countless diplomatic engagements have led to this moment—when France finally agreed to hand over its most closely guarded aerospace secrets to India. The decision to partner with Safran for complete technology transfer in jet engine development is more than just a defence contract; it represents something extraordinary in the history of global arms trade. No Western power has ever offered such comprehensive technology sharing, making India perhaps the only nation outside the established aerospace club to receive the keys to the kingdom of advanced propulsion systems.

Walk through any Indian Air Force base today, and you’ll encounter machines that tell the story of an unlikely but enduring romance between French engineering and Indian ambition. This relationship started in 1953, when a newly independent India looked beyond British suppliers and purchased 71 Dassault Ouragan fighters—christened “Toofani" by Indian pilots. At a time when most developing nations bought whatever surplus aircraft Western powers were willing to sell, India made a deliberate choice to diversify its sources, bringing French jets into hangars alongside British Vampires.

The Toofani proved its worth not just in peacetime training but in actual combat. During border skirmishes with Pakistan in 1961 and reconnaissance missions in the 1962 Sino-Indian War, these French machines demonstrated reliability that impressed sceptics. By 1965, as tensions escalated on our western border, India had acquired 104 of these fighters, establishing a pattern of substantial orders that would characterise future French purchases.

The late 1950s brought the Mystère IVA, France’s first transonic fighter, to Indian runways. India ordered 104 of these swept-wing machines in 1957, and their baptism of fire came during the 1965 war with Pakistan. On September 7,........

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