Bharat Dynamics (BDL) and European missile maker, MBDA are setting up a facility for the final assembly, integration, and test (FAIT) of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) at Bhanur in Telangana, a press release from the defence PSU said on Tuesday.
BDL and MBDA on Tuesday signed a licensing agreement to build the manufacturing facility in the presence of Siddharth Mishra, CMD of BDL at a virtual event.
Under this agreement, MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to BDL for establishing the facility. The facility is expected to start operations by the year 2022-23.
Mishra said that the deal reinforces BDL’s commitment to contribute towards the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives of the government in the defence sector.
George Kyriakids, International Industrial Cooperation Director of MBDA said, “We are very pleased to be establishing this new ASRAAM facility in India with BDL. MBDA has a long and highly successful history of working with BDL for over four decades, a partnership that has seen BDL manufacture a large number of MBDA-designed Milan missiles in India.”
The agreement to set up the facility follows from an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BDL and MBDA on ASRAAM FAIT signed during 2019.
