India signed an agreement with France for Hammer precision strike kits in September, and the weapon is likely to come by the end of this month. France has approved to equip Indian Rafale fighters with air-to-surface Hammer all-weather smart weapons apart from air-to-air MICA, METEOR missiles, and air-to-ground SCALP standoff weapon.
The report adds that the weapon will be provided to the IAF from the stocks of the French Air Force as India has asked for an emergency delivery. According to senior officials, the Hammer agreement was signed between the two governments in September 2020, and the weapons in large numbers will be delivered to the Golden Arrows Squadron of Indian Air Force station in Ambala by the end of this month.
The defence alliance between India and France is such that usually the Hammer weapon would have been provided to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a year but the French air force has decided to part with limited weapons from their stock to cater to New Delhi’s urgent requirement. The Rafale fighter is on the frontline of the IAF, which is presently on a high state of alertness due to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aggression at four points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The second batch of three Rafale fighters fled from Bordeaux last night using air-to-air refuellers and entered the Ambala squadron today.
The weapon, which can attack targets in the rival territory from standoff ranges, is manufactured by French defence major Safran.
The weapon can strike targets up to a capacity of 70 kilometres, depending on the altitude of release. It utilises “automatic target recognition” technology to hit its target with accuracy, and can be used in “fire and forget” mode. Safran told that the weapon has “high resistance to GPS unavailability, jamming, and target location errors” and requires “zero maintenance” to reduce its life costs. Hammer can be used for both close air support and deep strike missions.
With the appearance of Hammer weapon, the Indian Rafale has now a full armament complement with the capacity to dominate and destroy the enemy.