“We make the whole launcher of the Akash NG Surface to Air Missile system, and are also supplying electronics and software for the Advanced Towed Array Gun System (ATAGS),” Ashley Rasquinha, Jt. MD, EPH, said.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Belgium’s John Cockerill Defence (JCD), the world’s top-turret manufacturer for battle tanks, and Pune-based Electro Pneumatics & Hydraulics (EPH) Pvt. Ltd. announced a Joint Venture (JV) in India.
Initial focus of the JV was on the Indian Army’s Light Tank contest underway, and already tied up for supplying turrets for Zorawar, the light tank developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) which is currently in advanced stages of trials.
The development comes as India and Belgium look to scale up defence cooperation and are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence cooperation by the end of 2025.
The light tank is a critical requirement for the Indian Army that was identified during the standoff with China in Eastern Ladakh.
It will be a 60:40 JV between JCD and EPH in which the former will bring the technology and know how while the later will focus on the manufacturing, according to Thierry Renaudin, Chief Executive Officer, JCD. “We will get a new world class torrent… What’s binding on us is also the requirement of 50% Indigenous Content,” he said.
While the initial focus is on the Indian Light tank requirement, which could eventually go up to 700 tanks, the focus of the JV is much broader, said Francois Michel, Group Chief Executive Officer, John Cockerill. “There are several programmes in India that justify this JV. Our alignment is not for one single project, it goes way beyond. We have the best technology available for tank turrets today. India’s strength in electronics and Artificial Intelligence will allow us to build very efficient systems,” he said at a select media interaction.
Giving an overview of EPH, Ingrid Rasquinha, Joint Managing Director, said that the company has been in the defence sector for 25 years manufacturing simulators and missile launchers. “The ₹300 crore company which has manufacturing facility at Chakan in Pune generates 35-40% of its revenue from defence, one of its five verticals,” Prashant Gadepalli, Director-operations and marketing, EPH, said.
“We make the whole launcher of the Akash NG Surface to Air Missile system, and are also supplying electronics and software for the Advanced Towed Array Gun System (ATAGS) for Bharat Forge that was developed in partnership with DRDO,” Ashley Rasquinha, Jt. MD, EPH, said.
Published – March 04, 2025 11:37 pm IST