Bengaluru: Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) and Safran Electronics and Defense (SED), France, February 17 signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) to establish a Joint Venture Company (JVC) for the production of Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) Smart Precision Guided Air-to-Ground Weapon in India. The operationalisation of the provisions of JVA is subject to regulatory and administrative approvals of both the countries. BEL and SED also signed a Master Production Agreement (MPA), which sets out the terms of cooperation for transfer of production of HAMMER in India.
The agreements were signed by Manoj Jain, CMD, BEL, and Alexander Ziegler, Executive Vice President and Defence Director, Safran Electronics & Defense, in the presence of Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India, and Catherine Vautrin, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs of France, during the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru.
The JVC, with equal shareholding between BEL and SED, will focus on the manufacturing, supply and maintenance of HAMMER to meet the operational needs of Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, aiming to reduce import dependency and strengthen India’s indigenous defence capabilities.
The transfer of production will happen in a phased manner ensuring a stabilised production line in India. The indigenisation level will progressively increase with key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts being manufactured locally. This agreement underscores BEL’s commitment to strengthening India’s defence industrial base and aims at leveraging SED’s extensive experience in manufacturing of smart precision guided air-to-ground weapon.
HAMMER is a combat-proven, precision-guided weapon system known for its high accuracy and modular design, making it adaptable for multiple platforms, including the Rafale and LCA Tejas.
SED has established capabilities and expertise in Smart Tactical Air to Ground Weapon: from marketing, development and manufacturing, to support during operations, of HAMMER combat proven weapon. SED is the supplier to the Indian Air Force and Indian Ministry of Defence of Hammer weapon and SIGMA95 Inertial navigation systems for Combat Aircraft, among many other military equipment.
BEL, India’s leading Defence electronics Company, is engaged in the design, manufacture and supply of state-of-the-art Radars, Missile Systems, Military Communications, Naval Systems, Electronic Warfare & Avionics, C4I Systems, Electro Optics, Tank Electronics & Gun/Weapon System Upgrades, Solar Systems, Electronic Components and civilian products like Electronic Voting Machine and Point of Sale device.
