One of the world’s most powerful warships, Charles de Gaulle is in India. Stationed in the Indian Ocean, even as this warship is in India to participate in a naval exercise, its presence in the Indo Pacific region has implications larger than can be seen.
What makes Charles de Gaulle lethally equipped are the Rafale fighter jets stationed on board and their capacity to carry out a nuclear attack.
Its presence has not only got China bothered, a country that has been desperately wanting to create its dominance in the Indo-Pacific region, but also has caught attention of global powers.
Reportedly, once done in India, the warship is expected to sail through the South China Sea and reach Japan, which again has got China in a spot which has been long pushing its navy to establish supremacy in this region.
But what does the presence of Charles de Gaulle mean for India?
The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier weighs over 40,000 tonnes and is nuclear powered. The warship is a formidable nuclear-powered vessel capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft, including Rafale M fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft.
What makes its visit to India exclusive is the fact that after the USA, France is the only country whose nuclear aircraft carrier has arrived in India.
Stressing on its relationship with India, in a statement, France also stated India as one of its “closest strategic partners since 1998”. Even before Charles de Gaulle, French warships have in the past visited India. Naval exercises between the two countries have immensely helped them strengthen their action against pirates, smuggling, illegal fishing, and relief and rescue operations in the Indian Ocean.
Another factor that connects India to France is that Charles de Gaulle is equipped with Rafale fighter jets which India is also using and is further buying for its Navy. The Indian Navy has also purchased the Scorpene submarine from France.
But naval relations between India and France go long back.
Like the annual Varuna exercise, that is a cornerstone of the relationship between the two navies, the two countries also participate in multinational exercises like La Pérouse.
The two countries also have strong air force links, including the bilateral exercise Garuda, where pilots train for combat.
Additionally, India and France have made port calls at each other’s ports, including INS Sindhuratna and INS Chennai.
But talking of India and France and their defence cooperation, even without picturing the visit of Charles de Gaulle, it goes on record unanimously that the two countries have a deep and enduring strategic partnership that has evolved over the past 20 years.
They not only share commitment to regional stability but also have been each other’s long partner in countering maritime threats.
India, as a rising global power, and France, at the same time with its capacity to evolve and modernise, have over the years only deepened their military ties from joint military exercises to the high-profile naval drills, bolstering their defence cooperation.
