Rafael Expands Strategic Ties in India with New Defense Agreements
New deals with BDL and Centum Electronics boost local missile production and electronic warfare capabilities. These agreements strengthen India’s defense industry through advanced technology transfer and indigenous manufacturing
Photo: Rafael
Israel’s Rafael and India's Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed two significant strategic agreements to enhance technological collaboration and local missile production in India. These agreements, signed during AERO INDIA 2025, mark a major step in strengthening India’s defense industry and operational capabilities.
The primary agreement is an MoU to establish a local production line for the Ice Breaker, a fifth-generation autonomous weapon system with long-range and high-precision capabilities, set to enhance India’s strike capabilities.
Additionally, the companies are advancing a technology cooperation agreement (TCA) for the future production of Rafael’s SPIKE LR2, a fifth-generation anti-tank missile. The agreement includes technology transfer to BDL for local manufacturing and the production of SPIKE ER2 missiles to upgrade India’s helicopter fleet.
These agreements build on a previous MoU and reinforce the long-term strategic partnership between the companies. The advanced systems will be offered under India’s "Make in India" initiative, aimed at fostering domestic production and technological advancement.
Rafael CEO Yoav Turgeman emphasized the importance of local production, stating that it will enhance India's military capabilities while supporting the local defense industry. BDL Chairman and Managing Director, Commodore (Ret.) A. Madhavarao, highlighted the collaboration’s potential to drive industrial growth and provide high-performance missile systems for India’s defense sector.
Expanding collaboration with Centum Electronics
Another agreement Rafael signed in India this week is with Centum Electronics. The two inked a taming agreement (TA) to collaborate on advancing Spectrum Dominance, Spectrum Situational Awareness, and AI-based Intelligence Suite/Decision Support Systems for the Indian Armed Forces.
According to the companies, the partnership expands their ongoing collaboration in the electronic warfare (EW) domain and contributes to India’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiative, which emphasizes indigenous manufacturing and the transfer of critical technologies.
In November 2022, the two companies had announced a strategic partnership. Under that Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both companies agreed to collaborate exclusively on Electronic Warfare systems for the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and other government agencies.
"We are honored to expand our partnership with Centum Electronics. This agreement reflects our continued commitment to supporting India’s defense ecosystem with state-of-the-art technology while fostering local capabilities in alignment with the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, in close cooperation with our partners at Centum,” said Rafel CEO Turgeman.
Mr. Apparao Mallavarapu, Chairman and Managing Director of Centum Electronics, highlighted the significance of the partnership: “Signing this Teaming Agreement with Rafael marks a significant milestone in our journey to enhance India’s defense capabilities. Our collaboration not only strengthens our position in the domain but also reinforces our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that support India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. We look forward to leveraging our collective expertise to develop advanced technologies that enhance the operational effectiveness of the Indian Armed Forces.”
