Hyderabad: Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and MBDA, a European missile maker are establishing a facility for the final assembly, integration and test (FAIT) of Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) at Bhanur near here, a press release from the defence PSU said on Tuesday. BDL and MBDA, UK on Tuesday signed a licensing agreement to establish the manufacturing facility in the presence of Siddharth Mishra, CMD of BDL at a virtual ceremony.

Under the licensing agreement, MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to BDL for establishing the facility. The facility is expected to commence operations by the year 2022-’23. Mishra said the signing of the licensing agreement reinforces BDL’s commitment to contribute towards ‘Make in India’ and the ‘Atmanirbhar’ initiatives of the Centre in the Defence sector.

ASRAAM is one of the “Within Visual Range" missiles available and BDL will be manufacturing these at its Bhanur unit here for the domestic and export in future through MBDA. George Kyriakides, 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 large number of MBDA-designed Milan missiles in India." The agreement to establish the facility follows on from an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BDL and MBDA on ASRAAM FAIT signed during 2019.

This new facility will have the potential to also conduct maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the missiles, besides other capabilities, the release said. BDL is the only company in India involved in manufacturing various types of missiles and underwater weapons for supply to the Indian Armed Forces and friendly foreign countries.

MBDA is the only European defence group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).