Frances's Naval Group and India’s NIBE Limited have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 18 September 2026 to strengthen India’s naval shipbuilding and maritime technology ecosystem, with a focus on underwater drones, mine countermeasure vessels, submarine systems, and modular weapon-launching platforms.

The partnership reinforces India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and deepens the Special Global Strategic Partnership between India and France.

The agreement establishes a formal framework for cooperation in advanced naval technologies. It covers shipbuilding, defence platforms, and autonomous systems such as underwater drones, mine countermeasure vessels, submarine technologies, and naval weapon launching systems along with their maintenance.

This collaboration is designed to enhance India’s self-reliance in naval programs and ensure sovereign capability development.

Both companies will cooperate in areas including underwater drones and their integration onboard submarines. They will also work on future weapon-ready modular launching systems and mine countermeasure systems with advanced engineering solutions.

These technologies are critical for modern naval warfare, particularly in ensuring safe maritime operations and strengthening India’s deterrence capabilities.

Naval Group has maintained a presence in India for more than a decade. It has consistently supported the Indian naval defence industry and built an extensive network of industrial partnerships. This longstanding engagement provides a strong foundation for the new partnership with NIBE Limited, which will leverage both companies’ expertise to enhance their combined technological offering for the Indian Navy.

Marie-Laure Bourgeois, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Naval Group, stated that the agreement reflects a shared commitment to developing sovereign, resilient, and future-ready naval capabilities in India. She emphasised that it exemplifies the broader Special Global Strategic Partnership between India and France, which has been steadily expanding across defence, nuclear energy, and space cooperation.

Ganesh, Chairman and Managing Director of NIBE Group, highlighted that NIBE’s strong expertise in delivering integrated defence solutions will be a major asset in this cooperation. He noted that NIBE’s continued investment in the sector supports India’s strategic autonomy and will help provide the latest generation of naval technologies to the country.

NIBE has also been active in defence engineering, with recent contracts including rocket systems and advanced propulsion technologies, further reinforcing its credibility as a partner in naval modernisation.

The partnership comes at a time when India is accelerating its naval modernisation programs. The Indian Navy has been seeking advanced mine countermeasure vessels and autonomous underwater systems to address capability gaps. This MoU directly supports those requirements and aligns with India’s long-term maritime security strategy.

The collaboration is also significant in the context of Indo-French defence ties. France has been a trusted partner in India’s defence sector, with Naval Group previously contributing to the Scorpène-class submarine program. The new agreement builds on that legacy and expands cooperation into next-generation technologies such as autonomous systems and modular launchers.

This partnership is expected to contribute to India’s broader defence-industrial ecosystem. It will encourage local manufacturing, technology transfer, and innovation, thereby strengthening India’s position as a hub for advanced naval technologies. It also signals a deepening of Indo-European defence cooperation, with France playing a pivotal role in supporting India’s maritime ambitions.

ANI