The existing defense cooperation agreement between India and France has been renewed. At the same time, a joint venture agreement was signed between the two countries for the production of the HAMMER missile system.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced that during French President Emmanuel Macron’s official visit to New Delhi, India and France renewed their defense cooperation agreement.
In a post shared on social media, Jaiswal stated:
“Renewal of the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Government of India and the French Republic. What does this mean? It deepens defense cooperation. It supports India’s growing importance and facilitates the sharing of best practices. It advances the joint design, joint development, and joint production of defense platforms.”
It was also reported that a joint venture agreement was signed between India’s Bharat Electronics Limited and the aerospace company Safran to produce HAMMER munitions in India.
System to Be Primarily Used by India
Accordingly, a Center of Excellence will be established to serve as the technology partner for the production, supply, maintenance, and repair of the HAMMER weapon guidance kit. The primary users of this system will be the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), developed by Safran, is a French-made long-range, high-precision air-to-ground guided weapon. Although it is often described as a missile, it is essentially a guided bomb system.