The French company Safran will launch a joint production of AASM Hammer bomb correction modules in India.

The Economic Times reported on this.

Safran Electronics & Defense has signed a memorandum with Indian corporation Bharat Electronics Limited to establish a joint venture for the production, customization, sale, and service of precision guided weapons in India.

“The proposed joint venture will localize HAMMER production, enable the development of future versions, and support the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by reducing import dependence,” BEL’s CMD Manoj Jain stated.

The collaboration will facilitate technology transfer and create opportunities for Indian industries, he said.

As part of this partnership, BEL and Safran Electronics & Defense also plan to establish a Center of Excellence aimed at enhancing India’s Defence capabilities. This center will bolster joint industrial activities in areas such as manufacturing, engineering, and associated services such as operational maintenance, repairs, and overhauls of optronics and navigation equipment for the Indian armed forces.

AASM in the Indian Air Force

The AASM is a modular bomb upgrade kit that can be used by the French-made Dassault Mirage 2000 and Rafale aircraft in service with the Indian Air Force. In addition, it is also integrated into Indian Tejas fighter aircraft.

Like the American JDAM upgrade kits, the French AASM is designed to be mounted on conventional free-fall bombs of the Western model.

There are two types of kits: Hammer-250 for Mk.82 bombs weighing 227 kg and Hammer-1000 for 908 kg Mk.84 bombs. Testing of the latter was to be completed by the end of 2024.

The kits consist of a front part with a guidance system and flaps and a rear part with an accelerator designed to increase the flight range.

The nose part can be equipped with three guidance systems: inertial with GPS correction, inertial with a thermal imaging seeker, or a similar one with a laser beam guidance system. According to the developer, the first type of system has an accuracy of 10 meters, and the last two – only 1 meter.

The range of such munitions depends on the launch altitude and initial velocity, but according to official data, it ranges from 15-70 kilometers. In 2022, the manufacturer also introduced a new accelerator for Hammer-1000 kits, which should provide a range of 15-200 kilometers, but it is not reported whether France ordered these kits.