![](https://bharatshakti.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/LT-BSI-Defence.gif")
India’s long-delayed effort to acquire the US-made Javelin anti-tank missile has taken a new turn, with Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) selected as the main Indian partner to explore co-production of the weapon in the country.
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads into key engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit today.
TASL and the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), comprising Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, have signed a memorandum of understanding to examine establishing an Indian facility for final assembly and integration of the Javelin All Up Round (AUR), along with production of certain components.
Tata was chosen after the JJV evaluated multiple Indian companies for their capabilities and expertise.
The move is particularly important given how long India’s Javelin pursuit has taken.
New Delhi first publicly outlined plans to procure the missile in August 2010. Then Defence Minister A.K. Antony told Parliament that India intended to approach the US for third-generation Javelin anti-tank guided missiles through the Foreign Military Sales route, along with technology transfer.
That effort was eventually stalled over Washington’s restrictions on transferring the missile’s sensitive seeker technology. India subsequently dropped its request and turned to Israel’s Spike system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, in 2014.
The latest development effectively brings the Javelin back into focus, this time with an Indian company potentially playing a role not merely as a buyer, but as a production partner.
The Tata agreement follows India’s recent move to acquire Javelin systems for the Indian Army through the US Foreign Military Sales process.
However, the new MoU should not be understood as the immediate start of Javelin manufacturing in India. It establishes a framework to explore future co-production, including the creation of an assembly and integration facility.
The proposed model would retain important elements of production in the US. Lockheed Martin’s Troy, Alabama, facility would produce sub-assembly kits, while Raytheon’s Tucson, Arizona, plant would manufacture guidance electronics units. These would then be shipped to India for final assembly and integration.
For India, the plan could bring specialised manufacturing skills, high-tech jobs and greater defence-industrial expertise. And, for the US, it would preserve activity in its domestic supply chain while potentially allowing higher production volumes and economies of scale.
The proposed Javelin facility would deepen TASL’s role as a manufacturing and systems-integration partner for global defence companies.
The company has described the initiative as an opportunity to bring critical assembly expertise and knowledge into India’s defence ecosystem while advancing self-reliance.
A domestic assembly capability could ultimately also strengthen the Indian Army’s access to the system and support long-term sustainment, depending on how the proposed programme develops.
The announcement also highlights the changing nature of India’s defence partnerships.
New Delhi is at the same time firming defence-industrial cooperation with the US, maintaining its longstanding military relationship with Russia and expanding engagement with Iran and other Eurasian partners.
That makes the timing, ahead of Modi’s SCO engagements, particularly significant. The Javelin agreement does not represent a shift away from India’s traditional partners; rather, it reflects an increasingly diversified defence strategy in which India seeks capabilities, technology and manufacturing opportunities from multiple sources.
The Javelin Joint Venture says it has produced more than 55,000 missiles and over 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units to date.
