Thales, Kalyani Group sign collaboration agreement
Thales Australia has signed a collaboration agreement with Kalyani Group for the design, development and manufacture of next generation weapons systems for defence customers in India and abroad, Thales announced on 8 April.
Under the terms of the agreement, Thales will compete for the upcoming close quarter battle carbine procurement for the Indian Ministry of Defence. Thales Australia will offer the F90CQB, a short-barrelled variant for the F90/EF-88 rifle, in partnership with Kalyani Group, which will manufacture the weapon in India.
The procurement is for up to 350,000 carbines, which will be delivered over a period of five years for the Indian armed forces.
Kevin Wall, VP vehicles and tactical systems, Thales, said: ‘We are very pleased to bring high-end technology from Australia and work in close collaboration with the Kalyani Group for the design and development of next generation defence systems including variants of the F90 assault rifle already in service with the Australian Defence Force.’
Kalyani Group is an auto ancillary and defence company of India.
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