NEW DELHI: India has inked a joint venture cooperation agreement with France to domestically produce the ‘Hammer’ smart precision guided air-to-ground weapons, which were used in the cross-border hostilities with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor in May.The JV agreement for the Hammer weapons, which are designed to destroy bunkers and hardened shelters at ranges of around 70 km, was inked between defence PSU Bharat Electronics (BEL) and Safran Electronics and Defence (SED)While the French-origin Rafale fighters are already armed with the Hammer munitions, indigenous Tejas jets are now also being equipped with the weapons. “Hammer is a combat-proven, precision-guided wea-pon system known for its high accuracy and modular design, making it adaptable for multiple platforms,” an official said. The JV will be a private limited company with 50:50 shareholding, with agreement formalising the intent expressed in the MoU between BEL and SED during Aero India in February.
