In a significant boost to the Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat programs, as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics and Defence (SED), have signed a joint venture cooperation agreement for the production in India of the HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) smart air-to-ground precision-guided weapon.
The joint venture company will be formed as a limited liability company with equal shareholding. It will localize the production, supply, and maintenance of HAMMER to meet the operational needs of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
The level of Indian participation in production will increase gradually up to 60% of the weapon overall, with key subassemblies, electronic and mechanical components being locally produced.
The transfer of production from SED will occur gradually, with BEL leading the final assembly, testing, and quality control.
Features of the AASM HAMMER
The AASM (Air-to-Ground Modular Weapon) HAMMER is a precision-guided weapon system, battle-tested, known for its high accuracy and modular design, making it adaptable to various platforms, including the Dassault Rafale fighter bomber and the HAL Tejas light combat aircraft.
Safran offers the AASM HAMMER 125, 250, 500, and 1000 models, all applicable to general-purpose bombs, including 125 and 500 kg ones.
Beyond the GPS/INS guidance system, GPS/INS+IR and GPS/INS+Laser combinations are planned to increase the precision of attacks.
The AASM HAMMER boasts a range of over 70 km from the drop point and offers multi-target simultaneous attack capabilities, as well as ‘fire & forget’ mode.
Source: Indian Ministry of Defense
Photo credit @Dassault Aviation
