Indian aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has signed a technology transfer agreement with Sagem (Safran) concerning the manufacture and maintenance in India of Sagem's SIGMA 95 laser gyro navigation systems.

Developed by Sagem for fixed and rotary-wing combat aircraft, the SIGMA 95 is an autonomous, hybrid laser gyro inertial/GPS-Glonass navigation system deployed by the U.S. and Russia, respectively.

SIGMA 95 stands up to severe environments, and gives military aircraft a high degree of navigation precision and operational flexibility, thus supporting the success of even the most demanding missions, including in areas without GPS signals.

According to the terms of this agreement, HAL will be able to produce SIGMA 95 units for the Indian air force, and also provide "level 3" front line maintenance.

Sagem has further consolidated its partnership with the Indian aerospace industry through this agreement. Several hundred combat aircraft deployed by the Indian Air Force and Navy are already fitted with Sagem's laser gyro navigation systems, including the Hawk, Jaguar, Tejas, MiG-29 and -27 and Su-30.

Sagem's laser gyro navigation systems are produced in the company's Montluçon plant in the Auvergne region of south-central France. They are used on the latest military aircraft in France and worldwide, including the Dassault Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighters, Airbus A400M Atlas transport, and the Airbus Helicopters NH90 and EC725 Caracal helicopters, transport and special forces versions.

Sagem, a high-tech company of Safran, holds world or European leadership positions in optronics, avionics, electronics and safety-critical software for both civil and military markets.

Sagem is the No. 1 company in Europe and No. 3 worldwide for inertial navigation systems (INS) used in air, land and naval applications. It is also the world leader in helicopter flight controls and the European leader in optronics and tactical UAV systems.