BEL, Safran Sign JV to Make HAMMER Precision Weapons in India

New Delhi: In a major boost to the Make-in-India initiative, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics and Defence (SED), France, on Monday signed a Joint Venture Cooperation Agreement (JVCA) to produce the Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) smart precision-guided air-to-ground weapon in India. It has a range of 70 km.

The Indian Air Force had used HAMMER smart bombs during Operation Sindoor to strike targets in Pakistan. HAMMER is a combat-proven, precision-guided weapon system known for its high accuracy and modular design, making it suitable for multiple platforms, including the Rafale and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas.

In simple terms, HAMMER converts a standard or conventional bomb into a guided, stand-off precision munition by adding a guidance kit and a range-extension kit. Once launched from a fighter aircraft, it operates in a “fire-and-forget” mode.

The joint venture will be established as a private limited company with a 50:50 shareholding structure.

It will localise the manufacturing, supply and maintenance of HAMMER to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

The level of indigenisation will gradually increase up to 60 percent, with key sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical components being manufactured in India. The transfer of production will take place in phases, with BEL leading the final assembly, testing and quality assurance.

The JVCA was signed by BEL chairman and managing director Manoj Jain and SED executive vice-president Alexandre Ziegler, in the presence of secretary (defence production) Sanjeev Kumar and Safran CEO Olivier Andriès in New Delhi.