Why India is a strategic pillar for Thales

A demographic and economic powerhouse driven by innovation

With 1.4 billion inhabitants, India stands as the fourth-largest economy globally. Innovation is a cornerstone of its development, supported by major public initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India, Digital India and the IndiaAI Mission, which are transforming both industry and services. It is within this dynamic landscape that Thales has strengthened its roots.

Since 1953, the company has supported the rise of India’s capabilities by delivering critical technologies across both defence and civilian sectors. Seven decades on, Thales is firmly established in New Delhi, Noida, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Mumbai. 

Thales employs more than 2,300 people, 70% of whom are engineers, and structures its activities around two centres of excellence dedicated to engineering and innovation. 

“We are very proud to build cutting-edge in-country capabilities across critical systems, manufacturing and services through local teams and collaborations to serve Indian as well as global markets form India,” explains Ankur Kanaglekar, Vice-President of Thales in India. 

Over the years, Thales has built strong academic and industrial partnerships across both the public and private sectors. It also relies on a robust local ecosystem of 75 qualified suppliers fully integrated into the global supply chain.

In defence, Thales is engaged in several flagship programmes with the Indian armed forces, covering avionics, optronics, radar and electronic warfare systems. The company is also a member of the Dassault Aviation Rafale team. 

A strategic and enduring partnership between India and France

Given its geographical position, India’s external trade relies heavily on air and maritime links, making the development of civil aviation a strategic priority. Thales supplies avionics systems to airlines such as Air India and IndiGo, as well as biometric solutions and airport operations control centres at seven major airports across the country. The Group has also established a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre in Gurugram, near Delhi Airport. “In partnership with local industry, we also plan to introduce advanced capabilities in drones and counter-drone solutions, air traffic management and unmanned systems,” adds Ankur Kanaglekar.

“Make in India” and the rise of local capabilities

For India, this cooperation aligns with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat (“self-reliant India”) initiative, which seeks to strengthen national industrial and technological capabilities in strategic sectors, while creating skilled jobs and developing high-level expertise. The country benefits from a dense ecosystem of engineers, researchers and data scientists, providing a solid foundation for technological innovation.

Its engineering centre in Noida, specialising in cyber and digital activities, now handles the design and development of around 90% of its software monetisation solutions.

In India, Thales engineers collaborate not only with the local ecosystem but also with teams in other countries to innovate from India for the world. “For example, the team at our Bengaluru engineering centre is working with colleagues in France on flight avionics development programmes, including the new Flight Management System (FMS),” notes Ankur Kanaglekar.

The launch in 2026 of Thales Research & Technology India at the Bengaluru centre marks a major milestone in strengthening India’s R&D and innovation ecosystem. Drawing on the company’s global technological expertise, it will support the development of advanced capabilities in embedded software, edge computing and embedded artificial intelligence to address the evolving needs of critical systems.

Driven by a series of events, beginning with the India AI Impact Summit, the India–France Year of Innovation aims to act as a catalyst, forging lasting connections between public authorities, academia, start-ups and industry in a fast-growing market, with India’s GDP forecast to rise by 7.2% in the 2025–2026 financial year. The two countries also intend to promote human-centric AI governance in a global context shaped by technological competition and great-power rivalry.

A clear geopolitical dimension

Finally, this industrial trajectory must also be read through a geopolitical lens. As the Indo-Pacific emerges as the epicentre of global power dynamics, France and the European Union see India as a key partner for regional stability, maritime security and the defence of a multilateral order. In this context, cooperation in defence, cybersecurity and critical technologies - areas in which Thales is deeply engaged - goes well beyond commercial considerations. It contributes to building India’s strategic autonomy while strengthening Europe’s ability to play a meaningful role in a region that is set to shape the future global order.

“Over the next decade, we will centre on deepening localisation, accelerating innovation, and strengthening partnerships. This includes expanding our footprint and R&D capabilities. Thales will continue building advanced technologies across aerospace, defence, space, cyber, and digital domains to support India’s ambitions in critical and emerging technologies. Above all, our focus remains on being a trusted, long-term partner to India’s growth story,” concludes Ankur Kanaglekar.