Bharat Electronics, France's Safran Form 50:50 Venture To Make HAMMER Precision Weapon System

Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 23:26 IST

The partnership is expected to strengthen India’s indigenous capabilities in precision-guided munitions and provide long-term lifecycle support for the HAMMER system.

India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Safran Electronics and Defence to manufacture and support guidance kits for the HAMMER precision-guided weapon system in India.

The joint venture will establish a dedicated Centre of Excellence for the manufacturing, supply, maintenance and repair of Guidance Kits (GK) for the HAMMER weapon system.

The new entity will be incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, with its registered office likely to be located in Pune.

Its primary customers will be the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy, with scope to cater to other Indian users based on mutual agreement.

According to officials, the board of the joint venture will consist of four directors, with equal representation from BEL and Safran, and the chairman will be appointed from among the nominees.

The partnership is expected to strengthen India’s indigenous capabilities in precision-guided munitions and provide long-term lifecycle support for the HAMMER system.

The collaboration assumes added significance as India plans to expand its Rafale fighter fleet from the current 36 aircraft to around 150 in the coming years.

This expansion is expected to drive sustained demand for HAMMER munitions, including initial stocking, replenishment and lifecycle support over the next two to three decades.

Analysts estimate the opportunity to be worth several thousand crore rupees in guidance kits and associated systems.

In a note, the ICICI Direct Research team said the joint venture positions BEL to benefit from higher localisation and steady order inflows, while enhancing revenue visibility in the precision-guided weapons segment.

The expanding Rafale fleet, it added, would further cement BEL’s role as a key domestic partner in advanced air-launched strike systems.

What Is HAMMER?

The HAMMER, short for Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range and known in France as AASM, is an air-launched precision weapon capable of striking targets up to 70 km away, including in challenging terrain such as mountainous regions.

Designed as a modular system, it can be fitted to standard bomb bodies weighing between 125 kg and 1,000 kg, and combines inertial navigation with GPS guidance, with an optional laser seeker for engaging stationary or moving targets in all weather, day or night.

HAMMER is already integrated with India’s Rafale fleet, and local media reports have claimed the weapon was used during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025.

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