India, France to jointly make HAMMER precision munition

India this week moved to secure local production of a key French precision weapon after Bharat Electronics Ltd and Safran Electronics and Defense signed a joint venture to build the HAMMER air-to-ground munition in the country.

India’s ministry of defense said the agreement creates a private limited company jointly owned by the two partners to manufacture, supply and maintain the Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range, short for HAMMER, system for the Air Force and Navy.

“The agreement formalizes establishment of a Joint Venture private limited company with 50:50 shareholding,” the ministry said in a statement. The venture will progressively raise indigenization to about 60% as domestic suppliers take on sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts.

BEL will lead final assembly, testing and quality assurance as Safran transfers production in phases.

The agreement was signed in New Delhi on Monday, 24 November, by BEL chairman and managing director Manoj Jain and Safran Electronics and Defense executive vice-president Alexandre Ziegler.

The companies had announced an MoU at the Aero India show in Bengaluru earlier in February, which outlined a plan for a local manufacturing and support hub for HAMMER, along with a center of excellence for related technologies.

Jain said the partnership pushes India further toward building high-end munitions at home.

“The proposed joint venture between BEL and Safran will be a major step toward strengthening India’s capabilities in defense manufacturing,” he said, adding that localizing HAMMER production supports the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) plan by reducing dependence on imports.

Safran described the project as a strategic expansion in a fast-growing market.

“This joint venture partnership with BEL marks an important milestone,” said Franck Saudo, CEO of Safran Electronics and Defense.

He said the companies aim to create “a center of excellence combining the best of Safran with the best of BEL in smart precision-guided munitions” while advancing the Make in India program.

The planned center of excellence will support joint work in manufacturing, engineering and services including maintenance, repair and overhaul of optronics and navigation equipment used by India’s armed forces. Safran has committed to a structured technology transfer program as the Indian assembly line ramps up.

HAMMER converts standard unguided bombs into precision-guided munitions by adding modular guidance and propulsion kits.

European technical assessments said the powered version has a stand-off range of more than 70 km, allowing strike aircraft to hit fortified or well-defended targets from outside most short-range air defense zones.

The weapon has been fielded by the French Air and Space Force and Naval Aviation since 2007 in Afghanistan, Libya, Mali, Syria and, more recently, Ukraine, where France has supplied HAMMER rounds to Kyiv.

In India, the system gained public attention after Rafale fighters equipped with HAMMER were reportedly used during cross-border strikes under Operation Sindoor earlier this year.

While the Rafale fleet already carries the weapon, integration work on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is under way.

The ministry said the partnership is designed not only to meet domestic demand but to lay the groundwork for an export-oriented manufacturing base.

It said the joint venture is expected to “position India as a global hub for smart ammunition production,” creating opportunities for local industry, particularly small and medium-sized suppliers, across the supply chain.