Bharat Forge forms JV with Sweden's Saab for air defence

Bharat Forge Ltd’s wholly-owned subsidiary Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd (KSSL), the defence arm of Kalyani Group, has signed an agreement to form a joint venture with Saab, the Swedish defence and security company, for the SRSAM and VSHORAD air defence programmes.
 
The joint venture, which will be set up by Saab and KSSL, will handle the main part of production and delivery of these air defence systems to the Indian customer. The production in India will comprise of subsystems and systems for SRSAM and VSHORAD with the aim to transfer production as well as development knowledge to India.
 
  “The joint venture company will combine Saab's knowledge and experience as a developer and supplier of high-technology radar and missile systems, with the engineering excellence and manufacturing capabilities of the Kalyani Group. The joint venture will create a global supplier in the area of ground based air defence systems based in India,” said Amit Kalyani, executive director at Kalyani Group.
 
To secure production quality, orders of missile parts have already been issued to KSSL and production-readiness reviews are ongoing. Saab and KSSL are already planning for the technology transfer for different packages within the programmes.
 
“I am glad to announce our contribution to Make in India through our agreement with KSSL and the Kalyani Group to establish a joint venture company in India for the air defence programmes. The JV is already under preparation within both companies, and will be ready to launch soon,” said Gorgen Johansson, head of Saab business area Dynamics.
 
KSSL is a part of the Kalyani Group, a conglomerate engaged in forging for automotive and non-automotive sector, speciality steels and infrastructure. KSSL is the principal company of the Kalyani Group formed for undertaking defence & aerospace business initiatives by leveraging the Groups’ renowned and distinguished design, engineering and manufacturing expertise.