When the BEL–Safran HAMMER joint venture was announced, it was treated like another routine “Make in India” defence press release. Another agreement, another assembly line, another promise of localisation. But this project is fundamentally different from most of India’s past defence
India’s state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics & Defence have formed a 50:50 joint venture to manufacture the HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) precision-guided air-to-ground weapon system in India. The agreement was formalised under the guidance of the Ministry of Defence, recognising the collaboration as a key















