Army chief to visit France to boost defence ties

Seeking to strengthen bilateral defence ties, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh would be on a five-day visit to France starting Sunday.
The Army Chief would be on a five-day visit to France starting May 26 and will discuss ways of strengthening defence ties between the armed forces of the two sides, Army officials said here.
During the visit, he will go around several important institutions of the French Army and hold parleys with the top military leadership there to discuss ways of further strengthening ties, they said.
The two sides are also expected to discuss joint exercises and hardware cooperation, they said.

Several French companies are in the race for Indian military tenders including the artillery firm Nexter, which is vying to supply towed howitzers to the Army.
The Army main stay in anti-tank weaponry Milan 2T missile is also supplied by the French firm MBDA.
Indian Army had also held exercises with French troops in Uttarakhand area a couple of years ago.