India – France to jointly manufacture HAMMER

Syllabus: GS2/IR

Context

• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics & Defence (SED) have signed a joint venture agreement to manufacture the HAMMER precision-guided air-to-ground weapon system in India.

About

• The accord follows a memorandum of understanding signed during Aero India in 2025. 
  • Under the plan, a joint venture company with 50:50 shareholding will be incorporated in India.
• The joint venture will take up localisation of manufacturing, supply and maintenance of the HAMMER weapon system for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
  • Indigenisation is expected to gradually rise to nearly 60%, including sub-assemblies, electronics and mechanical parts.
• The HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range), is highly agile, and fit for operations in mountainous terrain like Ladakh.
  • Also known as a glide bomb, HAMMER precision-guided munitions have a range of up to 70 km and can be fitted to standard bombs of 250kg, 500kg, 1,000kg weights.
  • It is compatible with multiple combat aircraft, including the Rafale and the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.
  • With a range of up to 70 km, it enables stand-off attacks from outside hostile air defence coverage.

Major Highlights of the India-France Relations

• India–France Strategic Partnership: It was launched on 26 January 1998 and is India’s first-ever Strategic Partnership.
  • Core vision: Enhance strategic autonomy and deepen bilateral cooperation.
  • Key Strategic Pillars: Defence and security, Civil nuclear cooperation and Space collaboration.
  • Expanding areas: Indo-Pacific cooperation, maritime security, digitalisation, cyber security, climate change, sustainable development, advanced technologies, and, counter-terrorism.
• Defence Cooperation: It is reviewed via the Annual Defence Dialogue (Minister-level) and High Committee on Defence Cooperation (HCDC) (Secretary-level).
  • Rafale Fighter Jets: India procured Rafales from Dassault Aviation.
  • Scorpene Submarines (Project P-75): Collaboration with France’s Naval Group, 6 submarines built in India; latest is INS Vaghsheer.
  • Combat Aircraft Engine Development: HAL and France’s Safran Helicopter Engines signed an agreement under the IMRH programme to co-develop engines.
  • Recently both nations formally concluded an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to procure Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy. 
  • Future plans: Co-development of next-gen fighter jet engines.
  • Joint Exercises: Shakti, Varuna, FRINJEX-23.
• Economic Cooperation:  Within the European Union, France remains India’s fifth-largest trading partner, following the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.
  • The bilateral trade between India and France has more than doubled in the last decade to USD 15.11 Billion in 2023-24.
  • Both countries are also moving to jointly develop technologies and integrate existing technologies. 
  • The process of enabling Unified Payment Interface (UPI) has been successful in France.
  • French technologies especially in renewables, sustainable manufacturing and urban infrastructure development are being integrated in India.
• Space Cooperation: There is a over 60 years of collaboration between ISRO and CNES (French space agency)
  • France is a key supplier of space components, launch services (Arianespace).
  • Joint missions: TRISHNA (satellite mission), MDA systems, ground station support.
• Energy Cooperation: 
  • International Solar Alliance (ISA): Co-founded by India and France in 2015 to promote solar energy worldwide.
  • Nuclear Energy Cooperation: The first meeting of the special task force on nuclear energy in the framework of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue, was convened in 2025.
    • Both sides have agreed to work on establishing a partnership on low and medium power modular reactors or Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR). 
• Community: There are an estimated 1,19,000 Indian communities in France, largely originating from erstwhile French colonies.

Areas of Concern

• Trade Imbalance: Bilateral trade remains below potential, especially compared to India’s trade with other EU nations.
• Technology Transfer & Defence Restrictions: While France has supported India’s defence goals, there are concerns over the depth of technology transfer in big items.
• Nuclear Liability Concerns: Despite a civil nuclear agreement in 2008 and plans for reactors at Jaitapur, progress has been slow.
  • The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (2010) poses hurdles for French firms as it imposes liability on suppliers in the event of a nuclear accident.
• Geopolitical Differences: France’s strong economic ties with China may sometimes dilute full alignment with India on Indo-Pacific issues.
  • Differences in approach to Middle East geopolitics (e.g., stance on Iran, Israel–Palestine) occasionally diverge.

Conclusion

• India–France defence cooperation is a cornerstone of their wider Strategic Partnership. 
• With shared interests in sovereignty, multilateralism, and regional stability, both countries are set to elevate ties further under the Horizon 2047 vision — making defence ties more collaborative, innovative, and export-oriented.

Source: BS