India emerged as the biggest customer of French arms in 2025 with an order book worth €6.9 billion, surpassing Indonesia at €1.63 billion and Greece at €1.09 billion. This placed India firmly at the top of France’s arms export list for the year, according to figures reported by LA Tribune.

Together, India, Indonesia and Greece accounted for nearly half of French arms sales by value among the top fifteen buyers. This concentration highlights the growing importance of these three nations in sustaining France’s defence export momentum.

India’s leadership in 2025 was largely explained by its contract with Dassault Aviation to acquire 26 Rafale Marine aircraft. The deal was valued at approximately €6.5 billion, making it the single largest contributor to India’s arms import tally from France during that year.

Over the longer period from 2016 to 2025, India ranked second with €17.8 billion worth of French arms imports, behind the United Arab Emirates at €21.2 billion. Indonesia followed in third place with €9.5 billion, while Greece stood fourth at €7.7 billion. These figures underscore India’s sustained reliance on French defence technology over the past decade.

Interestingly, the UAE, which had dominated French arms imports in earlier years, slipped dramatically in 2025 with purchases worth only €302.3 million. This relegated the Gulf emirate to the bottom of France’s top fifteen arms buyers for that year, marking a significant shift in regional procurement trends.

India’s appetite for French arms is expected to grow further if New Delhi accepts France’s proposal for 114 Rafale fighters under the MRFA program. The deal, if finalised, could be worth between €25 billion and €30 billion, making it one of the largest defence contracts in India’s history and a landmark in Indo-French defence cooperation.

Such a purchase would not only cement India’s position as France’s premier arms customer but also significantly boost the Indian Air Force’s combat strength. It would also deepen industrial collaboration, localisation, and integration of indigenous Indian weapons into the Rafale platform, enhancing India’s defence self-reliance.

Agencies