By A Correspondent

New Delhi: European missile maker MBDA announced on May 6, 2026, that it has signed an agreement with the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the development of a local capability for the Maintenance, Repair, and Mid-Life Overhaul (MRO) of MICA missiles, a weapon system that arms both the Mirage-2000 and Rafale fighter jets of India.

In a statement, the company said the MRO facility would be set up, operated, and maintained by the IAF, with the MBDA supplying the industrial machinery and tools required, data packages, as well as training and technical support.

“Developing these facilities locally will foster long-term capability building, secure technical expertise for years to come, and develop India’s strategic autonomy, reflecting the core principles of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the ambitious campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020,” the statement said.

The facility would help India’s domestic defence sustainment effort, improving turnaround times, with capacity to support MICA missiles throughout the duration of their time in service, significantly enhancing the operational capability and readiness of the Indian armed forces, it said.

India and MBDA share a long history of partnership in equipping the IAF going back to the early days of air-to-air missiles. Throughout its history, the IAF has relied on MBDA’s missile systems to provide the latest air combat performance across a number of different aircraft types.

“MBDA today has two focuses: providing the highest performing missile technologies to the Indian armed forces, and secondly supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat as part of MBDA’s longstanding partnership strategy with India, the company said.

“With a strong reputation as a reliable partner that has supported the Indian Air Force for over 50 years, European missile firm MBDA understands the importance of operational capability and sovereignty to the IAF,” it said.

“For these reasons, the company has strongly committed to ‘Make in India’, to deliver both industrial sovereignty and the best military equipment to India,” it added.

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