MoD inks deal with BEL for radars at a cost of ₹2,906 cr

Ministry of Defence (MoD) Wednesday inked a capital acquisition contract with state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Ghaziabad, for procurement of ‘Ashwini’, Low-level Transportable Radar, at a cost of ₹2,906 crore, for tracking missile fired by fighter aircrafts, helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The Ministry of Defence officially stated that its acquisition will significantly enhance the operational preparedness of the Indian Air Force.

The LLTR, indigenously designed and developed by Electronics & Radar Development Establishment of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is an active electronically scanned phased array radar based on state-of-the-art solid state technology, the Ministry of Defence said.

Tracking aerial targets

The radar is capable of tracking aerial targets from high-speed fighter aircraft to slow moving targets such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and helicopters.

The contract was signed in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh in South Block here on Wednesday.

The programme is a major step towards achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing by reducing dependency on Foreign Origin Equipment Manufacturers, besides acting as a catalyst for the development of defence industrial ecosystem in the country, the MoD said.