Our BureauHyderabad, August 17 Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) and MBDA of UK have signed up to establish a facility for the Final Assembly, Integration and Test facility for Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile missiles in India. A licensing agreement was signed by NP Diwakar, Director (Technical), BDL, and George Kyriakides, International Industrial Cooperation Director, MBDA at a virtual ceremony today. MBDA will transfer the equipment and knowledge to BDL for establishing the facility. Work is due to start immediately on the unit which is expected to commence operations by 2022-23. In a statement, Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd), CMD, BDL said, “ASRAAM is one of the within-visual-range missiles available and BDL will be manufacturing these at its Bhanur Unit, Telangana, for the domestic and export market in future through MBDA.” “The new facility will provide India with the ability to carry out final assembly, integration and test of ASRAAM missiles. BDL has been endeavouring to enter into a tie-up with foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers in pursuit of its expansion programme,” he said. George Kyriakides of MBDA said: “MBDA has a long and highly successful history of working with BDL for over four decades, a partnership that has seen BDL manufacture a large number of MBDA- designed Milan missiles in India.” The agreement to establish the facility follows an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between BDL and MBDA on ASRAAM FAIT signed during 2019. This facility can also be adapted to conduct final assembly, integration and test of the CAMM missile of MBDA used by the Sea Ceptor naval air defence system. ASRAAM is a New Generation Close Combat Missile. BDL is engaged in the manufacture of various types of missiles and underwater weapons for the Indian Armed Forces. .