Bharat Forge Arm KSSL and Thales Sign Pact to Produce 70-mm Rocket Systems in India

4 September 2026National

Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL), the wholly-owned defence subsidiary of Bharat Forge Limited, signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with French defence major Thales Group in September 2026 to build industrial capability in India for unguided and laser-guided variants of Thales' 70-mm rocket systems. The agreement was signed during Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever's state visit to India (2–4 September 2026). The first fully India-assembled rocket system is expected in early 2027. These systems support counter-drone missions and multi-platform integration on rotary-wing platforms including the ALH-WSI and Light Combat Helicopter, and are already used by 70 armed forces across 55 countries.

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Bharat Forge, part of the Kalyani Group, is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra | Thales Group is headquartered in Paris, France | The Light Combat Helicopter 'Prachand' and the Advanced Light Helicopter 'Dhruv' are built by HAL, headquartered in Bengaluru

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