India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics & Defence have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a strategic joint venture for the manufacturing, customisation, sales and maintenance of precision-guided air-to-ground munitions (AASM Hammer). The agreement is considered a major step towards India’s drive to become self-reliant in the defence industry. The signings were made at the Aero India Airshow in India on February 11.
An Important Step in the Defense Industry
BEL Chairman Manoj Jain said that this joint venture will enhance India’s defence manufacturing capabilities and help them achieve indigenous manufacturing capacity in advanced weapon systems. Manufacturing of AASM Hammer ammunition in India will strengthen the local industry and support the Government of India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) initiative by reducing import dependency. Jain also noted that development of future ammunition variants will also be ensured.
Technology Transfer and Global Positioning
It was emphasized that the MoU signed will facilitate technology transfer and make India a global hub for smart ammunition manufacturing. A Centre of Excellence (CoE) to be established to enhance India’s defence capabilities will support joint industrial activities in areas such as optronics and navigation equipment manufacturing, engineering and maintenance services. This centre will be an important step towards becoming a major manufacturing and maintenance hub for the Indian Armed Forces.
Knowledge Transfer from French Safran
Safran will contribute to the manufacturing process through a knowledge transfer program that will transfer expertise to India. The manufacturing transfer will be carried out in a phased manner, with BEL leading the final assembly, testing and quality assurance processes. With this process, India will become a major hub for the production of advanced smart ammunition.
Use of AASM Hammer in India
AASM Hammer is a precision-guided air-to-surface munition used by the Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets manufactured by French Dassault Aviation. It has also been integrated with the Indian Tejas fighter jets. Similar to the western JDAM kits, AASM Hammer is also designed to be integrated with free-fall bombs. This munition is of great importance to India's modern air force and strategic defence capabilities.
This cooperation will contribute to India having a stronger international defense industry by increasing its domestic production capacity in the defense industry. The production of AASM Hammer ammunition in India will enable the country to gain more independence in its own defense systems and aims to make India a global player in smart ammunition production.
