BDL, MBDA ink pact to set up ASRAAM facility

Hyderabad: The Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) in association with UK-based arms manufacturing company MBDA are establishing a facility for the final assembly, integration and test (FAIT) of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missiles (ASRAAM) in the country. On Tuesday, they signed a pact to establish the manufacturing facility in India.

The agreement was signed by NP Diwakar, director (technical), BDL and George Kyriakides, international industrial cooperation director, MBDA, in the presence of Commodore Siddharth Mishra (retd), BDL CMD, at a virtual ceremony. P Radhakrishna, director (production), N Srinivasulu, director (finance), BDL and senior officials of both companies were present.

Under the licencing agreement, MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to BDL for establishing the facility. Work on establishing this capability in the country is due to start immediately and is expected to commence operations by 2022-23.

Mishra stated that signing of the agreement reinforces the company's commitment to contribute towards 'Make in India' and the 'Atma Nirbhar' initiatives of the Government of India in the Defence sector. ASRAAM is one of the within visual range missiles available and BDL will be manufacturing these at its Bhanur unit for the domestic and export in future through MBDA. The new facility will provide the country with the ability to carry out final assembly, integration and test of ASRAAM missiles.

The BDL has been endeavouring to enter into tie-up with foreign original equipment manufacturers in pursuit of its expansion programme. The agreement signed with MBDA is one such effort, which will go a long way in further strengthening the collaboration, which BDL has with MBDA for its various missile programmes, Mishra added.

Kyriakides said, "We are very pleased to be establishing this new ASRAAM facility in India with BDL. The MBDA has a long and highly successful history of working with the BDL for over four decades, a partnership that has seen the BDL manufacture large number of MBDA-designed Milan missiles in India." The agreement to establish the facility follows an earlier MoU between BDL and MBDA on ASRAAM FAIT signed in 2019. The BDL is the only company in the country involved in manufacturing various types of missiles and underwater weapons for supply to the armed forces and friendly foreign countries. It also handles launchers, test equipment, refurbishment/life extension of missiles and counter measures systems for domestic as well as international market.