Indian capabilities will help develop next-gen weapons: Patrice Caine, CEO, Thales Group

New Delhi: Thales is looking to develop next-generation weapon systems with Indian suppliers and partners, group chief executive officer Patrice Caine said in an interview.

The €22 billion French aerospace and defence giant plans to increase sourcing of products and services from India that’s exceeded €1.2 billion in the past five years, he said.

There’s a significant opportunity for collaboration with Indian space launch companies as well, given the global shortage that’s likely in 2029 when SpaceX rockets will no longer be available to other customers, he told ET. On co-development, the executive said Indian suppliers and partners are firmly part of the group’s growth strategy.


“When I look at our radars, missiles, and electronic warfare equipment, it is clear that India has the capabilities to contribute to the development of next-generation systems,” Caine said. “We can build on these capabilities in India and, in fact, we started selecting Indian suppliers several years ago.”

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The Thales Group is one of the world’s largest aerospace and defence manufacturers, with products spanning the air, land, ground, cybersecurity and space domains, including significant work shares in major weapon systems such as Rafale fighter jets.

Caine didn’t elaborate on negotiations that are underway with the defence ministry on the purchase of 114 additional Rafale jets, which will include significant technology transfer to India by leading manufacturers such as Thales, Dassault and Safran. Speaking to ET ahead of a visit to India during which he will meet policy makers and customers, Caine said that makes “good business sense” to work with Indian partners, given the focus on quality and competitive pricing. “We already have products in our supply chain that are manufactured in India and sold across global markets,” he said. “The scale of this business is significant. Over the past five years, Thales has procured `1.2 billion worth of products and services from India. Looking ahead, I am confident that this will continue to grow.”

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He cited the country’s advantages.

“India has a strong industrial base, with companies that have a rich legacy and considerable expertise,” Caine said. “This translates into quality, technical capability and competitiveness, which are precisely the attributes we look for when selecting long-term partners.”

The Thales Group does not look at India just as a market for aerospace, defence, space, cyber and digital solutions but sees it as a critical hub for developing products for the global market with local engineering teams. He added that the company’s strategy in India has been to bring in established technologies and enhance them for global markets.

“Defence is a good example,” he said. “The need for defence equipment and capabilities in India is extremely significant, and we see strong potential not only to supply more products to India but also to Indianise them. This means going beyond transferring production to India to transferring design authority as well.”

On opportunities in India besides the Rafale jets, Caine said that the Thales Group is focusing on cost-effective products that are suited for modern warfare, including smart rockets and short-range missiles like the Starstreak and the Lightweight Multirole Missile. With regard to the space sector, Caine said Thales is looking to partner Indian companies with launch capabilities, pointing out that SpaceX will no longer be available for other customers by 2029, creating a potential shortage of satellite launchers.

“For countries like India, mastering launchers clearly presents an opportunity to be much more in demand for satellite launches because of this gap,” he said. “As Thales is involved in satellites, there is quite a natural potential complementarity for us to turn to Indian launch service companies.”