Safran has expanded its industrial presence in India with two major agreements covering fighter-jet propulsion and the local manufacturing of air-to-ground weapons. The announcements mark yet another step in New Delhi’s push to build a sovereign aerospace and defense industry under the “Make in India” framework.
Engine co-development for India’s next-gen stealth fighter
The first agreement, reported by Indian Defence News, involves a full joint development program between Safran and India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop a new engine for the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft stealth fighter.
The powerplant, expected to deliver around 120 to 140 kilonewtons of thrust, will be designed and produced in India with full technology transfer, including sensitive hot-section know-how such as turbine architecture and single-crystal blade manufacturing. India will retain intellectual property rights, enabling its industry to produce, maintain, and upgrade the engine independently throughout the aircraft’s lifecycle.
The deal represents an evolution from earlier cooperation between Safran and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, when the two sides examined the possibility of assembling Rafale M88 engines in India and producing some components locally. The new partnership goes much further, moving from the assembly of foreign-designed engines to the co-development of a clean-sheet powerplant purpose-built for India’s next-generation fighter fleet.
The joint program may take a decade or more to complete, with prototype engines expected by the end of the decade and certification and serial production to follow in the early 2030s. Early AMCA prototypes are likely to fly with interim engines, with the Indo-French powerplant planned for later production batches.
A boost for the AMCA development roadmap
For India, the timing aligns with the AMCA program formally moving into its execution phase in 2025. The twin-engine multirole fighter aims to deliver India’s first domestically developed stealth aircraft, with a development roadmap extending into the next decade. Securing propulsion sovereignty is seen as essential to avoiding delays and dependence on foreign suppliers, an issue that has affected several of India’s earlier aviation programs.
Safran also outlined plans to expand its industrial footprint in India over the coming years, underscoring that the partnership is intended as a long-term strategic investment rather than a single export project.
Safran and BEL launch HAMMER production in India
The second agreement, signed with state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), establishes a joint venture that will manufacture the AASM HAMMER modular precision-guided bomb in India. The partnership, split evenly between the two companies, will supply the Indian Air Force and Navy and is expected to localize up to 60% of production over time.
The HAMMER, already integrated on India’s Rafale fleet, offers a modular guidance and range-extension kit adaptable to different bomb types. Local production is intended to shorten delivery timelines and give India greater control over sustainment, integration, and future upgrades across multiple combat aircraft.
India’s push for defense sovereignty gains momentum
Together, the AMCA engine deal and the HAMMER joint venture show how India is working to reduce its reliance on external suppliers by embedding advanced propulsion and weapons technologies within its domestic industrial base.
For France and Safran, the agreements highlight a deepening strategic relationship with India and a readiness to share high-value expertise that is seldom transferred abroad.
They also come at a pivotal moment for India’s broader combat-air modernization effort. The Indian Air Force is reportedly preparing to pursue a direct government-to-government acquisition of up to 114 additional Rafale fighters, a move that would strengthen the country’s industrial partnership with France and further reinforce the need for expanded local sustainment and weapons production capacity.
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