At Aero India 2017, Thales and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), a Government of India enterprise, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assess the opportunity for the transfer of technology of the STARStreak missile capability to India with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom (UK). The MoU was signed in the presence of UK Government representatives on the UK Government stand.
Through this MoU, Thales and BDL seek to jointly offer a “Make in India” solution to help service growing international demand for this product.
The STARStreak missile is in service in the UK army and has been procured by the defense forces of a number of countries worldwide. The fastest missile in its category, STARStreak is unique due to its three laser-guided darts, which cannot be jammed by any known counter measure. It has the capability to defeat any air target - even armored helicopters - as the last line of defense.
Thales is investing in the transfer of technology to India for the STARStreak missile. In the spirit of cooperation between the two countries, including under the Indo-UK Defence Equipment Cooperation MoU, this initiative has the full support of UK government. The association will play a strategic role not only in supporting the “Make in India” vision of the Indian government but also in giving a boost to the excellent bilateral relations between India and the UK.
Alex Cresswell, Executive Vice President for Land & Air Systems activities at Thales, said: “We are proud to join hands with Bharat Dynamics Ltd for the strategic transfer of technology of our flagship STARStreak missile from the UK. Also, we are thankful to the government of the UK for their strong support to this initiative. Sharing technology has been one of the key ingredients of Thales’ strategy for India. We would continue to work in this direction and realize our objective to make in India and export from India through such endeavors”.
Mr. V Udaya Bhaskar, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Dynamics Limited, said: “BDL is very much pleased to partner with Thales for obtaining transfer of technology for STARStreak Missiles. BDL is strongly looking forward to business opportunities outside India to supply the latest defense equipment”.
The STARStreak missile operates at a speed in excess of Mach 3 to defeat fast-moving threats and those with short unmasking times. The three-dart ‘hittile’ configuration maximizes lethality and the highly-accurate laser beam riding guidance enables engagement of low-signature targets and is immune to all known counter measures.
STARStreak has already been integrated with a wide range of Radar, IR Sensors, and Command and Control systems. It can be used in a Man Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS) role as a single or multi-launcher configuration and is also available integrated into both light and heavy High Mobility Vehicles.
Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 62,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €14 billion in 2015.
Present in India since 1953, Thales today has over 300 employees working with its wholly owned Indian subsidiary, Thales India Pvt. Ltd. Headquartered in New Delhi, Thales has other operational offices and sites that are spread across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai, among others. Since the beginning, Thales has been playing an essential role in India’s growth by sharing its technologies and expertise in Defence, Transport and Aerospace markets.
About Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) is a defense public sector undertaking, engaged in the production and supply of various missile systems to the Indian Armed Forces, via ATGMs and SAMs. BDL has been growing strongly in the technologies encompassing aforesaid systems.
