New Delhi, Dec 19: Building on the success of Operation Sindoor, India has moved to significantly boost its strike and drone warfare capabilities by deciding to locally manufacture French-origin Hammer precision-guided weapons and placing a ₹5,000-crore order for indigenous kamikaze drones capable of operating in heavy spoofing and jamming environments.
On May 7, Indian fighter jets had used the Hammer (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) along with other munitions to hit terror infrastructure deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, showcasing its precision-strike capability. The government has now cleared a plan to integrate locally manufactured Hammer weapons with Rafale and Tejas fighters, after state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and France’s Safran Electronics & Defence signed an agreement for production, supply and support in India.
Parallelly, the Army has placed orders worth about ₹5,000 crore for a new generation of indigenous kamikaze drones and loitering munitions that have been tested to function in dense electronic warfare, including GPS spoofing and jamming, and at high altitudes. Officials say these systems, sourced from multiple Indian public and private manufacturers, will give ground forces a major edge in precision targeting across the northern and western fronts while deepening India’s shift towards self-reliance in critical defence technologies.
