By Cristina Gallardo
France's Safran said its electronics and defense division formed a joint venture with Bharat Electronics $(BEL)$ to manufacture a type of air-to-ground missiles in India.
The two companies said Tuesday that they have teamed up to produce, customize, sell and maintain Safran's Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (Hammer) missiles in India, compatible with Rafale fighters jets, and used by air forces for close air support and deep strike missions.
The announcement comes as India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the AI Action Summit organized by the French government in Paris.
India has historically been very reliant on Russian military equipment, but following Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, New Delhi has speeded up its efforts to diversify its imports of weapons, while simultaneously building its own defense industry.
Safran, which has been present in India for more than 65 years, and BEL, a defense public sector undertaking, said they also plan to set up a center of excellence in India to improve the country's defense capabilities, including manufacturing, engineering, operational maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of optronics and navigation equipment for the Indian armed forces.
This collaboration will help reduce India's reliance on defense imports, they said.
Write to Cristina Gallardo at cristina.gallardo@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 11, 2025 07:37 ET (12:37 GMT)
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