Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence Ltd announced a strategic cooperation agreement with German arms manufacturer Diehl Defence for the production of next-generation terminal-guided munitions (TGMs).
The 155mm TGMs, which are equipped with built-in ECCM (Electronic Counter-Countermeasures) capabilities that make them less susceptible to enemy electronic jamming attempts, can home into targets within 10 seconds of reaching the anticipated impact zone.
According to Reliance Defence, the company has the market opportunity to potentially generate Rs 10,000 crore in revenue through the development and supply of advanced ammunition systems.
"The partnership will drive local production of state-of-the-art, Vulcano 155 mm Precision Guided Munition system, catering to the Indian Armed Forces" Reliance Defence said in a statement.
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"This milestone partnership represents a significant step forward for India's private sector in defence manufacturing, and aligns strongly with the nation's vision of achieving self-reliance in defence technology," the statement said. "The advanced munition system will incorporate state-of-the-art, laser and GPS-guided targeting technology, enhancing precision striking capability, while ensuring high-impact accuracy for designated targets."
Besides, a separate joint statement by the two groups said Reliance group founder Anil Ambani and Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch discussed strengthening strategic partnership on guided munition/terminally guided munition that they had entered into in 2019. "For Diehl Defence, the collaboration with Reliance Defence is part of the company's commitment to the Indian market and to the 'Make in India' initiative of the Indian Government," it statement said.
The main purpose of the current strategic cooperation agreement is to focus on the urgent supply of the 'System Vulcano 155mm Precision Guided Munition' for the Indian armed forces.
In parallel, the initiative 'System Vulcano 155mm under Make in India-II' is in progress with Reliance Defence as the prime contractor for the Indian customer and Diehl Defence as the strategic partner.
Reliance Defence said it aims to rank among India's top three private defence exporters.
"As the prime contractor to the Indian Armed Forces, it will lead the execution of this high-impact programme, with Diehl Defence providing critical technology and system-level expertise. The manufacturing initiative includes over 50 per cent indigenous value addition, and is aligned with the government of India's Make in India, and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives," it said.
