India Optel Limited CMD Tushar Tripathi, second from left, with Head of the Defence Global Business Unit for Safran Electronics and Defence Alexandre Ziegler, second from right, during signing of an agreement in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, centre, in New Delhi on December 22, 2025. Photo: PIB via PTI
In a major step under the Make-in-India programme, India Optel Limited (IOL), a Mini Navratna defence public sector undertaking (DPSU), signed a collaboration agreement with Safran Electronics & Defence, a French company, on Monday (December 22, 2025) for the production of two high-precision, combat-proven defence systems in India.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the systems covered under the agreement are SIGMA 30N Digital Ring Laser Gyro Inertial Navigation System and the CM3-MR Direct Firing Sight. SIGMA 30N is widely used across artillery guns, air defence systems, missiles and radars, while CM3-MR is designed for artillery guns and anti-drone applications, significantly enhancing accuracy and operational effectiveness on the battlefield.
The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Tushar Tripathi, Chairman and Managing Director of India Optel Limited, and Alexandre Ziegler, Head of the Defence Global Business Unit at Safran Electronics & Defense. The signing took place in the presence of Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production), Government of India.
The Ministry added that this collaboration builds upon a memorandum of understanding signed between the two companies in January 2024 and reaffirms their commitment to jointly manufacture and support advanced defence systems in India. Under the partnership, IOL will undertake manufacturing, final assembly, testing, quality control and complete life-cycle support of the systems, ensuring they meet the operational requirements of the Indian Army.
Enhances accuracy
The partnership will also contribute to enhancing the operational readiness, accuracy and performance of the Army’s land-based weapon systems.
The agreement marks an important step towards reducing dependency on imports, promoting technology transfer and achieving self-reliance in critical defence technologies, in line with the government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, the Ministry added.
Published – December 22, 2025 10:39 pm IST
