India, France deepen defense cooperation with joint weapon production pact

India and France have strengthened their long-standing defense partnership with a new agreement to jointly manufacture an air-to-ground precision weapon system, marking another step in New Delhi’s push to build advanced military capabilities within its borders.

The pact, announced Monday by India’s Ministry of Defence, is part of a broader strategy to expand domestic defense production and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers.

Joint venture to produce HAMMER weapon system

Indian state-owned contractor Bharat Electronics and France’s Safran Electronics & Defense signed an agreement to produce the Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) system in India.

The precision-guided weapon, which can be deployed across multiple aircraft platforms, is designed to guide munitions released from fighter jets to their intended targets with high accuracy.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the HAMMER system will be integrated onto platforms including the French-made Rafale fighters and India’s indigenous Tejas light combat aircraft.

The collaboration will encompass domestic manufacturing, supply chain development, and maintenance support for the weapon.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The agreement underscores the growing depth of India–France defense industrial cooperation.

It also aligns with India’s “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliance) initiatives, which aim to increase local production of advanced technologies ranging from aircraft systems to complex weapons.

Strengthening strategic ties with France

The HAMMER pact is the latest in a series of collaborations between Indian defense firms and Safran, one of France’s key aerospace and defense companies.

In August, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that India would partner with Safran to manufacture fighter jet engines domestically, signalling an intent to move further up the value chain in aerospace technology.

France has steadily grown into one of India’s most critical defense partners, particularly as New Delhi seeks to diversify its military suppliers beyond traditional links with Russia and emerging ties with the United States.

This year, the Indian government cleared the acquisition of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets in a deal valued at 640 billion rupees ($7.2 billion).

These aircraft will add to India’s existing fleet of Rafale fighters, which have become an important component of its air power strategy.

With rising security tensions involving China on India’s eastern border and Pakistan on its western flank, New Delhi has been working to strengthen and modernize its military capabilities.

France, with its willingness to collaborate on technology transfer and localized manufacturing, has increasingly become a preferred partner in these efforts.

Domestic ambitions face setback after Tejas crash

Despite progress in defense partnerships, India’s ambitions to expand its indigenous aerospace capabilities encountered a setback last week. An Indian-made Tejas fighter jet, the country’s only domestically developed fighter, crashed during a flight demonstration at the Dubai Airshow, killing the pilot.

The Indian Air Force has launched an investigation into the incident.

While the Tejas program remains central to India’s long-term goal of building home-grown fighter aircraft, the crash has raised fresh questions about timelines and operational readiness.

The new HAMMER production agreement, however, indicates continued intent to equip both imported and domestic aircraft with advanced precision weapons manufactured locally.