NEW DELHI. Bharat Electronics Limited and Safran Electronics & Defense, France, have signed a Joint Venture Agreement to establish a joint venture company for the production of the Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range HAMMER smart precision-guided air-to-ground weapon in India, marking a major boost to indigenous defence manufacturing. The operationalisation of the agreement is subject to regulatory and administrative approvals from both countries, and a Master Production Agreement has also been signed to facilitate phased transfer of production technology to India with progressively higher indigenisation of key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical components.
The agreements were signed by BEL Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Jain and Safran’s Executive Vice President and Defence Director Alexandre Ziegler in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Catherine Vautrin during the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru. The equal-shareholding joint venture will focus on manufacturing, supply and maintenance of HAMMER missiles for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, reinforcing the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and reducing import dependence. The combat-proven HAMMER system, known for its high accuracy and modular design, is compatible with platforms such as the Dassault Rafale and the HAL Tejas, and the collaboration aims to leverage Safran’s expertise while strengthening India’s defence industrial base.
