Tata Advanced Systems, Javelin Joint Venture partner to co-produce anti-tank missiles in India
JJV picked TASL as its prime partner for future in-country co-production after evaluating several companies on capability and expertise. Under the MOU, the two sides will explore setting up a final assembly and integration facility for the Javelin AUR, along with component production, in India.
Sub-assembly kits will continue to be made at Lockheed Martin’s Troy, Alabama, facility, and guidance electronics units (GEU) at Raytheon’s Tucson, Arizona, facility, before being shipped to India for final assembly.
The MOU follows a broader push to expand India-US defence ties. US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said on Friday that India plans to buy the Javelin system, calling it a step towards closer defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington.
BIG news! India plans to buy the battle-tested Javelin anti-tank system. Just as @secwar highlighted at the May 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, this is a great step forward in the U.S.-India defense relationship and opens the door to co-production possibilities. The engagement between…
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) August 28, 2026
The purchase could also pave the way for co-production. Gor referenced comments made at the May 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, writing on social media, “this is a great step forward in the US-India defence relationship and opens the door to co-production possibilities.”
The US State Department had already cleared a possible Foreign Military Sale of the Javelin system and related equipment to India, worth an estimated $45.7 million, in November 2025. That proposed package includes 100 FGM-148 Javelin rounds, one fly-to-buy missile, and 25 Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units or Block 1 Command Launch Units.
What Javelin does
The Javelin is a medium-range, shoulder-launched, fire-and-forget anti-tank system built for infantry, scouts and combat engineers, though it can also be mounted on vehicles, aircraft and watercraft.
It is designed to engage armoured targets and is used by the US and several other countries. JJV has produced more than 55,000 Javelin missiles and over 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units to date.
Executives from all three companies framed the MOU as a way to build up India’s defence manufacturing base while sustaining jobs in the US supply chain.Rich Liccion, vice president, JJV, and programme director, Lockheed Martin Javelin, called it “a pivotal step in ensuring a resilient, supply chain for this critical anti-tank weapon system.”
Jenna Hunt Frazier, JJV president and Javelin programme director at Raytheon, said the agreement “supports faster fielding of the proven Javelin weapon system and sustained readiness for partner nations.”
TASL chief executive and managing director Sukaran Singh said, “This initiative brings critical assembly expertise and knowledge transfer into India’s defence industrial ecosystem, while strengthening self-reliance,” adding that local assembly “will enhance operational readiness and ensure timely access to proven, combat-ready capability for the Indian Armed Forces.”
Also Read: India to get US Javelin missiles: What the deal includes and why it matters
Source: www.cnbctv18.com