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India first acquired the HAMMER system in 2020 through emergency procurement, following the Galwan clash with China, though it was not included in the 2016 Rafale fighter jet deal due to cost considerations.
New Delhi: India’s state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics & Defence (SED) have signed a joint venture cooperation agreement (JVCA) to produce the HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) air-to-surface precision-guided missiles in India.
The agreement was signed on Monday, November 24, 2025, building on a memorandum of understanding signed at Aero India on February 11, 2025, and establishes a Joint Venture Company (JVC) with 50:50 shareholding between the two firms. The JVC will localise the manufacturing, supply, and maintenance of HAMMER missiles to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy.
The localisation process will progressively increase to 60 per cent, with key sub-assemblies, electronics, and mechanical parts produced locally. Production transfer will be phased, with BEL responsible for final assembly, testing, and quality assurance.
The HAMMER is an air-to-surface weapon that converts conventional bombs into precision-guided munitions using GPS, INS, and infrared/semi-active laser guidance kits. It can carry multiple warhead configurations, including 125 kg, 250 kg, 500 kg, and 1,000 kg variants, with a range of up to 70 kilometres. The system has fire-and-forget capability, can engage moving targets, and has reportedly achieved 99 per cent successful strikes in combat. HAMMER missiles can be launched from low altitudes over rough terrain.
The system was first used in combat in Afghanistan in 2008 and later in Mali, Libya, and Syria. France has supplied several hundred HAMMER systems to Ukraine since early 2024, which have been deployed across multiple aircraft types.
India first acquired the HAMMER system in 2020 through emergency procurement, following the Galwan clash with China, though it was not included in the 2016 Rafale fighter jet deal due to cost considerations. Israel’s Spice 2000 missiles were used in previous strikes, including the Balakot operation.
HAMMER was deployed by the Indian Air Force during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Its capabilities, including autonomy, resistance to jamming, and low-altitude launch, allowed strikes on fortified targets such as Markaz Subhan Allah in Bahawalpur and Markaz Taiba, the Lashkar-e-Taiba compound. The missiles were launched from Rafale fighter jets and Scalp missiles.
The JVCA will allow India to manufacture, supply, and maintain HAMMER missiles domestically, progressively increasing the country’s self-reliance under the Make in India programme. The move comes as part of a series of defence collaborations between India and France, including:
The HAMMER system’s production in India will support operational readiness for both the IAF and the Navy, while increasing the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities through phased localisation.
