India has officially joined the multinational Eurodrone Program as an observer country. The announcement was made by the Organization for Joint Arms Cooperation (OCCAR), which welcomed India’s participation in the cutting-edge Eurodrone Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) program.
OCCAR is responsible for overseeing a variety of high-profile European defense projects, including the A400M Atlas airlifter, Boxer armored utility vehicle, Tiger attack helicopter, and Horizon Medium Term Upgrade (MLU)/FREMM multipurpose frigate.
OCCAR Executive Director Joachim Sakka personally handed over the observer country’s approval letter to the Indian Embassy in Berlin on January 21.
The OCCAR-EA Director congratulated the Government of India on this milestone and expressed optimism that this will lay the foundation for a long and fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation.
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With India’s participation in the Eurodrone programme, it becomes the second country in the Asia-Pacific region to obtain observer status after Japan. India’s application for observer status was submitted in August 2024, following Japan’s accession as an observer in November 2023.
Observer countries such as India have access to technical data and authority to order aircraft, but are not involved in the decision-making process regarding platform design, development, or the allocation of work shares among participating countries. .
Overall, their role is limited to receiving information and having the option to purchase the aircraft without influencing the core aspects of its creation or the distribution of responsibilities between the key partners.
Although OCCAR did not elaborate on specific benefits for India, the move is consistent with India’s broader defense strategy, which includes deepening technological cooperation with global partners.
India’s involvement in the Eurodrone program follows the Joint Defense Cooperation Agreement with Germany signed in October 2024. The agreement outlines a commitment to technology cooperation, joint production, and joint development of defense platforms.
The Eurodrone program, launched in 2016, is valued at an estimated 7 billion euros ($7.3 billion) and is led by four European countries: France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Major industry partners including Airbus, Dassault and Leonardo are driving the project, which aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on non-European systems like the US’s MQ-9B. But the Eurodrone program has been plagued by delays and rising costs.
The German military’s annual arms review had previously criticized coordination challenges between Airbus and Dassault, pointing to them as a key factor in delays in preliminary design reviews of the unmanned aircraft. The first prototype flight of this drone is scheduled for 2027.
India’s next generation fighter dilemma
India’s participation in the multinational Eurodrone program is a clear sign of New Delhi’s evolving defense relationship with European countries.
This development could pave the way for deeper ties with European defense manufacturers, a move that seems necessary given the growing challenges faced by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in modernizing its airpower. It will be done.
The IAF is currently struggling to meet its force needs, with delays in the production of new jets making it increasingly difficult to replace aging jets. Currently, the IAF only operates 31 squadrons, far below its authorized strength of 42 squadrons and the lowest number since the 1965 war with Pakistan.
The outlook for the Indian Air Force is further clouded by the stalling of the country’s fifth-generation aircraft development program, AMCA. Technical problems and resource constraints plague the program, leaving India with limited options to modernize its fleet.
Even the MRFA contract, in which India plans to acquire 126 multi-role fighters, has been pending for a long time.
This lack of progress is particularly alarming given the progress made by India’s regional adversaries. In particular, China has overtaken India in the development and fielding of fighter jets.
In recent years, the Chinese government has accelerated production of its fifth-generation J-20 fighter jet, and could field up to 1,000 stealth fighters by 2035. However, these concerns were further exacerbated in November 2024 when China unveiled its second J-35A stealth fighter at the Zhuhai Air Show.
As if that wasn’t enough, just one month later, Beijing shocked the world by flying prototypes of its sixth-generation fighters, the Chengdu J-36 and Shenyang J-XX/J-50. It showed that China could become the first fighter. It plans to deploy 6th generation fighter jets.
India’s strong rival Pakistan is also reportedly planning to acquire the newly unveiled J-35A from China. Islamabad is also collaborating with Turkey on the KAAN project, a fifth-generation fighter aircraft program.
Besides the big-ticket MRFA contract, India also has three fifth-generation aircraft: the US F-35 Lightning II, the Russian Su-57 Feron, and its own AMCA (India may need a technology partner). There are options.
Of the three options, the Su-57 is plagued by production challenges as Russia remains entrenched in its war with Ukraine. Moscow is also working on another stealth aircraft, the Sukhoi Su-75 Checkmate, but this project is still in the conceptual stage, with uncertain funding and limited prospects for immediate development. .
This situation effectively narrows India’s options to the F-35 Lightning II. However, the US has not officially provided this aircraft to India.
Furthermore, India’s own S-400 operations further complicate matters, as exemplified by Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 program after acquiring Russia’s S-400 air defense system.
At the same time, even India was not very keen on including the US in its fighter jet ecosystem. Furthermore, acquiring the F-35 without technology transfer may not be very attractive for India.
This is an area where European defense programs, including the next-generation GCAP (Global Combat Air Program) and SCAF (Future Combat Air Program) programs, may offer a viable path for India.
GCAP is led by the UK, Japan and Italy, while the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) initiative is a joint effort led by France, Germany and Spain.
Both programs aim to produce a sixth-generation fighter jet that incorporates cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous capabilities, advanced stealth capabilities, and enhanced data-sharing systems.
Given the involvement of France, Germany, and Spain in the Eurodrone project, it is not too far-fetched to expect that New Delhi might seek to join Europe in developing its next-generation fighter jet.
Air Marshal (retired) Anil Chopra, a veteran fighter pilot with the Indian Air Force, had earlier highlighted this aspect and stressed that India cannot afford to lag behind.
While New Delhi is evaluating its options for procuring fifth-generation aircraft, Chopra argued that it also needs to start developing sixth-generation technology to stay ahead in the evolving defense landscape. .
He pointed out that many countries are choosing the path of cooperation in defense technology development. He suggested that the question for India is whether to work with the GCAP or FCAS programme.
Chopra concluded that these are difficult decisions and factors that require careful consideration, as collaboration involves sharing costs and risks.
