IAF's Tejas can join Rafales in bunker busting and interdiction strikes in Himalayas if equipped with HAMMER: Report

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics & Défense (SED), an entity within the Safran Group, signed a Joint Venture Cooperation Agreement (JVCA) to make the Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range (HAMMER) smart precision-guided air-to-ground weapon in India.

HAMMER is a combat-proven, precision-guided weapon system with a range of over 70 km, known for its high accuracy, resistance to jamming, ability to be launched from low altitude over rough terrain, and modular design. The joint venture aims not just to arm the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Rafale fleet with HAMMER systems but also the Indian Navy’s Rafale-M fighters as well as all variants of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LAC). The objective is to ensure India's combat aviation ecosystem has a common precision-guided weapon system.

FULL REPORT | HAMMER missiles to be made in India: New BEL-Safran joint venture to fast track weapon deployment for IAF, Indian Navy

It was reported in 2020 that the IAF had opted for French HAMMER for Rafale, dropping an earlier plan to equip the fighter jets with Israeli precision-guidance system Spice 2000. One of the reasons cited then was that Rafale is already capable of firing the HAMMER, which would mean that it could lead to faster operational deployment of the weapon.

The JVC, which will localise the manufacturing, supply and maintenance of HAMMER to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy, will be formed as a private limited company with 50:50 shareholding, The Week had earlier reported.

Why local production of HAMMER bombs matters

International combat aviation and military news websites have pointed out that Rafale and Tejas fleets getting the HAMMERs is a major boost for India’s precision-strike capability, which makes targets well inside enemy territory vulnerable. The Rafales can easily be integrated with the modular guidance and propulsion kit as its fire-control systems, onboard sensors, and mission-data computers allow seamless synchronisation with the HAMMER ecosystem.

However, LCA Tejas getting fitted with the multi-warhead supported systems is a major boost for IAF as it converts a primarily air-defence-centric fighter into a full multirole platform with high-precision strike capability, Defence Security Asia said in a report. This integration empowers the HAL-built war birds capable of taking off for bunker-buster missions and interdiction strikes which try to disrupt or destroy enemy forces or supplies before they can reach the battlefield or front lines. Also, Tejas jets will be capable of providing land assets with close air support with far greater survivability and accuracy, the report added.

Further, HAMMER-armed Rafales and Tejas can receive targeting data from AWACS, reconnaissance UAVs, ground surveillance radars, making coordinated saturation strikes possible.

In network-centric warfare, HAMMER-armed Rafales and Tejas can receive targeting data from reconnaissance UAVs, ground surveillance radars, and airborne early-warning aircraft, enabling coordinated saturation strikes on enemy infrastructure. These factors could heavily favour IAF if the Himalayan heights or the Indo-Pacific waters are ever to become warzones.

For the integration to happen, Tejas Mk1A variants will require software upgrades, weapon-management system enhancements, aerodynamic validation, and datalink optimization, the Defence Security Asia report reminded. It also pointed out that ensuring robust domestic supply chains capable of wartime surge production and indigenising complex components without compromising accuracy are a must for these to happen.