Safran to develop new bomb guidance kits for France

PARIS, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Safran Electronics & Defense is to develop and manufacture new modular ASSM air-to-ground block 4 bomb kits under a contract from the French military procurement agency, DGA.

The ASSM family of kits, used by France and other countries, give precision guidance to standard bombs and come in several versions, depending on the type of guidance: inertial GPS, inertial/GPS + infrared imaging, and inertial/GPS + laser.

The guidance system kits also come with a propulsion kit.

The Direction Générale de l'Armement said the contact for new kits will allow for a reduction in cost of the weapon kits, and a doubling of production capacity and new jobs in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Brittany regions of the country.

Initial deliveries, which are to be conducted in tranches, will take place in 2019.