India's locally manufactured Tejas fighter jets will soon be equipped with the highly agile modular munition extended range (HAMMER) missiles, a media report said on Tuesday.
The missiles are being purchased under emergency procurement power granted by the Narendra Modi government to the military.
"The HAMMER missiles are in the process of being integrated with the LCA Tejas, and it will significantly enhance its capability to take out hardened targets from stand-off distances," government sources told ANI.
In September last year, the French government urgently delivered HAMMER missiles for Rafale fighter jets after border tensions with China forced India to stock up its missile arsenal.
HAMMER missiles are compatible with different standard bomb bodies – 125, 250, 500, and 1000 kg. French manufacturer Safran says the 70 km range weapon system is autonomous, hard to jam, and can be launched from low altitude over rough terrain.
The HAMMER kit consists of a guidance system at the front and apropulsion system at the rear, with a dumb bomb in between. The Indian Air Force ordered 83 Tejas fighter aircraft from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in January 2021.