Indian Armed Forces Set To Get State-Of-The-Art Equipment As MoD Inks Rs 5,498 Crore Deal With BEL

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed ten contracts worth Rs 5,498 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

The contracts cover a range of Air Force, Army and Navy projects.

Under Air Force projects, the Defence Ministry has signed a contract with BEL Bangalore for the supply of 90 indigenously designed and developed EW Suite Equipment for Medium Lift Helicopters.

The suite comprises a Radar Warning Receiver (RWR), Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) and Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS), which will enhance the combat survivability of Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters during operational missions against adversaries, including ground-based and airborne radars and heat-seeking shoulder-fired missiles.

Additionally, a contract has been signed for the maintenance of two squadrons of the Akash Missile System with BEL Bangalore.

The Akash Missile system (AMS), developed by DRDO and manufactured by BEL, can target aircraft up to 30 km away and neutralise aerial threats like fighter jets, cruise missiles and air-to-surface missiles.

"The Akash Missile System includes Surveillance Radar, Fire Control Radar, Control and Command Centre developed by BEL," the company said in a statement on Thursday (30 March).

Under Army projects, the Defence Ministry has signed a contract with BEL Ghaziabad for the Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System (Project Akashteer), which will enable monitoring of low-level airspace over the battle areas of the Indian Army and effectively control the Ground Based Air Defence Weapon Systems.

Another contract has been signed with BEL Kotdwara for the Instant Fire Detection and Supressing System (IFDSS) for T-72 tank.

Under Navy projects, BEL has signed a contract for the supply of 1,265 indigenously developed Software Defined Radio (SDR) Portables for the Indian Navy.

The state-of-the-art radios have been indigenously developed, jointly by DEAL (DRDO) and BEL.

The SDR portables are developed in three configurations - SDR Manpack, SDR Fixed Pack and SDR hand held - to meet the specific operational requirements of Indian Navy.

The portable radios are new generation software defined radios that support multi-band, multi-channel, multi-role/mission operation with voice/data to meet the needs of network-centric warfare of the Indian Navy.

Another contract has been signed for the supply of HD VLF HF Receiver, which is a communication equipment designed to receive and demodulate data/voice in VLF and HF Band of operation in the ships and submarines of the Indian Navy.

The other contracts signed with the Indian Navy include the installation of 12 Sarang on Kamov 31 Helicopters, which intercept, detect and identify radar emitters comprising state-of-the-art technologies.

Sarang is an advanced Electronic Support Measure system for helicopters of the Indian Navy.

"Three more projects were signed with Indian Navy - INS-SA, CMS for P17 & P28, Varuna EW," the company said.

"All these are flagship projects showcasing the indigenous design and manufacturing capabilities of Indian Defence industry led by BEL, involving other Public Sectors, Private Sectors and MSMEs," the company added.