India’s HAMMER Project: India has taken a new big step with a new Indo-French joint venture dedicated to building the HAMMER air-to-ground weapon system within the country. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics and Defence (SED) signed a Joint Venture Cooperation Agreement (JVCA) on November 24.
According to the Ministry of Defence “In a major impetus to Make-in-India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics and Defence (SED) have signed a Joint Venture Cooperation Agreement for the production of Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) Smart Precision Guided Air-to-Ground Weapon in India.”
India Plans New Stealth Cruise Missile Built to Fit Inside AMCA’s Internal Weapon Bays
A 50/50 Indo-French Partnership
The new company will be structured as a 50/50 joint venture, meaning both BEL and Safran will share equal control. The JV will handle manufacturing, assembly, delivery, and lifecycle maintenance of the HAMMER weapon kits for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. As production scales up, the proportion of locally manufactured components is expected to rise to 60%, including mechanical parts, electronics, and sub-assemblies, reported Eurasian Times. BEL will oversee the final project.
This JV is intentionally designed with a narrower focus than Indo-Russian BrahMos Aerospace. BrahMos was founded in 1998 as a government-level project between the two nations, with India holding 50.5% and Russia 49.5%. BrahMos manages end-to-end development, upgrades, production, and global exports. It has deep industrial support, with contributions from more than 200 Indian companies and multiple Russian defence organizations.
On the other hand the HAMMER JV is not intended for research and development of future systems. It will concentrate only on manufacturing the HAMMER kits in India. At present, no export programme is planned, and both partners share equal stakes, meaning neither side holds overriding decision-making authority.
What Is the HAMMER Weapon System?
The HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) is a new smart bomb that helps hit important or well-protected targets with very good accuracy. It uses different guidance methods like INS/GPS, infrared homing, and laser homing. Because of this mix iit can still find its target even when GPS does not work.
A normal HAMMER kit is fixed to a 250 kg or 500 lb bomb. It adds a guidance section in the front and a range-extension kit at the back. The back part has a solid-fuel rocket that helps the bomb travel from about 20 km up to 70 km. This lets the aircraft drop the weapon from far away and stay safe. Safran has also made HAMMER kits for 100 kg and 1,000 kg bombs. This means the weapon can be used for many missions, from hitting soft targets to breaking hardened bunkers.
Although HAMMER is typically paired with Safran’s Talios targeting pod, the Indian Air Force (IAF) opted to integrate it with the Israeli Litening targeting pod, which is already used on several Indian aircraft.
The Rafale-HAMMER combination has already seen operational use by the IAF. Reports indicate that India deployed the weapon during heightened tensions with China in 2021, and again during Operation Sindoor earlier this year. Analysts say the weapon’s jamming resistance and consistent accuracy made it an attractive choice.
How HAMMER Differs From BrahMos?
Although both HAMMER and BrahMos are major international collaborations, they serve completely different operational roles. HAMMER is a precision guided bomb kit but on the otehr hand the BrahMos is the a supersonic cruise missile capable of launches from ships, submarines aircraft and land systems.
