Tata Advanced Systems Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Javelin Joint Venture — the partnership between Raytheon, an RTX business, and Lockheed Martin — to explore co-producing the Javelin anti-tank missile system in India. The agreement was announced on August 30, just days after the Indian Army finalized a separate deal to procure US-origin Javelin missile systems through the Foreign Military Sales process.
Under the arrangement, Tata was selected by the Javelin Joint Venture as its prime partner for future in-country co-production efforts, following an evaluation of multiple Indian companies based on their capabilities and expertise. The two sides will now explore setting up a final assembly and integration facility in India for the Javelin All Up Round, the complete, factory-assembled missile enclosed in its tactical launch container, along with some component production capabilities. For now, American manufacturing remains central to the program: Lockheed Martin’s facility in Troy, Alabama will continue producing sub-assembly kits, while Raytheon’s site in Tucson, Arizona will keep making the guidance electronics units.
The deal carries some historical weight. India’s effort to acquire the Javelin dates back years and had previously stalled over Washington’s reluctance to transfer the missile’s sensitive seeker technology. That impasse led India to instead adopt Israel’s Spike anti-tank guided missile, developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, back in 2014. This new MoU effectively revives the Javelin option for India, this time with an Indian company cast not just as a buyer but as a potential manufacturing partner.
Sukaran Singh, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Advanced Systems, said the initiative brings critical assembly expertise and knowledge transfer into India’s defence industrial ecosystem while strengthening self-reliance, adding that local assembly of the missile round would enhance operational readiness for the Indian Armed Forces. Jenna Hunt Frazier, JJV president and Javelin program director at Raytheon, said the agreement lays a foundation to strengthen the global supply chain for Javelin and supports faster fielding of the weapon system for partner nations. The venture has produced more than 55,000 Javelin missiles and over 12,000 reusable Command Launch Units to date, and the collaboration is also intended to help absorb rising global demand for the system.
It’s worth noting the MoU is a framework for exploration, not a commitment to immediate manufacturing — the actual assembly facility and production timeline have yet to be worked out.
