India and France have agreed to establish a joint venture to manufacture the HAMMER weapon system in India, building on a cooperation agreement signed in November 2025.
The deal involves a 50:50 equity partnership between French company Safran, which developed the precision-guided air-to-ground stand-off weapon, and the Indian firm Bharat Electronics Limited, which will support and co-manufacture key components in India.
The joint venture will operate a “Center of Excellence” that will manufacture, supply, maintain, and repair HAMMER guidance kits for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, supporting the country’s drive towards self-reliance in defense.
It is expected to manufacture the HAMMER munitions, which will be fitted onto New Delhi’s incoming 114 Rafale jets, according to Tribune India.
Moreover, the move comes amid French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India, where he is meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the India-France Strategic Partnership and related key issues.
The HAMMER
The HAMMER, which stands for Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range and is also known as AASM in France, is deployed from fighter aircraft and conducts long-range precision strikes 70 kilometers (43 miles) away, reportedly effective even in mountainous areas.
As a modular system, it can be fitted to standard bomb bodies weighing between 125 and 1,000 kilograms (276 to 2,205 pounds).
The weapon combines inertial navigation with GPS guidance and can be equipped with an optional laser, enabling fire-and-forget operations against stationary or moving targets in all weather, day or night conditions.
HAMMER is integrated with India’s Rafale fighter fleet, and local media reports have claimed it was deployed during India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025.
