Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Thales sign Starstreak teaming agreement

India’s Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) will produce the Starstreak close air defence system under a new teaming agreement with Thales, with the companies aiming to meet future demand from the Indian Armed Forces and international customers.

BDL will become part of the system’s global supply chain, with the potential to export Indian-manufactured Starsteak systems – and individual components – to existing and future customers, according to the two companies.

The deal would allow BDL to offer what the companies term a ‘Made in India’ Starstreak solution for the country’s army and air force, with about 60% of the system manufactured in that country.

Starstreak is currently produced in Thales’s Belfast facility; the new deal will not negatively impact operations at that site, according to Thales, and it will continue to manufacture the system. Instead, the companies view the arrangement as complementary. A company spokesperson told Janes that while it is now a formal requirement in India that a significant amount of work must be performed domestically, at the same time, success in India will require a ramp-up of production in the UK in order to meet the need for such large numbers of systems. It will result in an increase in jobs in both the UK and India.