Safran & BEL collaborate for manufacturing HAMMER weapon in India

Bengaluru: Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited & Safran Electronics & Defense, France have signed a MoU to create a joint venture for manufacturing, customising, sales and maintenance of HAMMER, a precision guided air-to-ground weapon, in India.

HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a combat-proven weapon system known for its high accuracy and modular design making it adaptable for multiple platforms including the Rafale and LCA Tejas

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by K V Suresh Kumar, Director (Marketing) of BEL, and Alexandre Ziegler, Executive Vice President of Safran Electronics & Defense, in the presence of Manoj Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of BEL, Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Electronics & Defense at Aero India on Tuesday.

“The proposed joint venture between BEL and Safran Electronics & Defense will be a major step toward strengthening India’s capabilities in defense manufacturing and achieving self-reliance in advanced weapon systems. It will localise HAMMER production, enable development of future variants and support the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by reducing import dependence,” BEL’s CMD Manoj Jain said.

As part of this partnership, BEL and Safran Electronics & Defense also plan to establish a Center of Excellence aimed at enhancing India’s Defence capabilities.

This center will bolster joint industrial activities in areas such as manufacturing, engineering, and associated services such as operational maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of optronics and navigation equipment for the Indian armed forces, the companies said in a joint release.

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