Tata Advanced Systems signs MOU to explore Javelin missile co-production in India
Javelin anti-tank missile in flight. Image courtesy: Wikimedia Commons.
New Delhi: Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) to explore co-production of the Javelin All Up Round (AUR) in India. The companies will examine setting up a final assembly and integration facility along with component-production capabilities in the country.
The JJV is a partnership between Raytheon, an RTX business, and Lockheed Martin. It said TASL had been selected as its prime Indian partner for future in-country co-production after evaluating several Indian companies on capability and expertise.
The agreement does not mean Javelin missiles are already being manufactured in India. No location, investment value or production timeline for the proposed facility has been announced.
Companies explore final assembly in India
Under the proposed production model, Javelin All Up Rounds would undergo final assembly and integration in India. The Javelin All Up Round refers to the fully assembled missile and is separate from the reusable command launch unit used to acquire and engage targets.
The joint announcement said the proposed Indian operation would also include component-production capabilities, but parts of the missile supply chain would remain in the United States. Lockheed Martin would continue multi-year production of sub-assembly kits at its Troy facility in Alabama, while Raytheon would produce guidance electronics units in Tucson, Arizona. Both would be shipped to India for final assembly and integration.
The announcement does not say that complete Javelin production or the entire missile technology will be transferred to India. The TASL chief executive officer and managing director, Sukaran Singh, said the initiative would bring “critical assembly expertise and knowledge transfer” into India’s defence-industrial ecosystem. The companies have not provided details of the technologies or components that could eventually be produced locally.
MOU follows Indian Army’s Javelin purchase
The industry agreement comes days after the Indian Army signed a separate letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) with the United States to procure Javelin anti-tank guided missile systems through the US foreign military sales process. RNA Media reported on August 28 that the procurement agreement confirmed India’s purchase of the system, while the US side said it could open discussions on future co-production.
The two developments are distinct. The LOA covers the Indian Army’s procurement of Javelin systems from the US, while the latest TASL-JJV MoU concerns a possible future industrial arrangement to assemble, integrate and produce components of Javelin missiles in India.
The final quantity of missiles and command launch units being purchased by the Indian Army, as well as the value of the signed procurement agreement, have not been publicly disclosed. An earlier US state department approval in November 2025 covered a possible $45.7 million foreign military sale comprising 100 FGM-148 Javelin rounds, one additional fly-to-buy missile and 25 lightweight command launch units.
Those figures were part of the earlier US congressional notification and should not be treated as the confirmed quantity or value of the agreement signed by the Indian Army in August. The defense security cooperation agency said the notified quantities and value represented the highest estimates based on India’s initial requirements.
Indian facility could join Javelin supply chain
The JJV said the proposed co-production arrangement would bring final assembly and integration of the Javelin AUR to Indian facilities and suppliers while supporting component manufacturing in the country.
The JJV president and Javelin programme director at Raytheon, Jenna Hunt Frazier, said the agreement established a foundation to strengthen the global Javelin supply chain and support faster delivery of the weapon system.
The companies said the proposed arrangement could support the wider Javelin supply chain amid increased global demand. They did not announce an export agreement or say that Javelins assembled in India would automatically be supplied to third countries.
TASL already has defence-manufacturing partnerships with global aerospace companies, including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, according to the joint announcement.
No location, investment value or production timeline for the proposed Indian facility has been announced. For now, the Indian Army’s Javelin procurement is confirmed, while local production remains at the MOU stage.
