The Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India, on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, signed two contracts worth totally Rs 3,102 crore with the Bengaluru and Hyderabad units of Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), at New Delhi.
The MoD and BEL-Bengaluru concluded a contract for supply of Advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) suite for fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force. The overall cost of the contract is estimated to be Rs 1,993 crore.
The supply of advanced EW systems will significantly enhance the battle-survivability of IAF fighter aircraft while undertaking operational missions against adversaries’ ground-based as well as airborne fire control and surveillance radars. The EW suite has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The MoD also signed a contract with BEL-Hyderabad for Instrumented Electronic Warfare Range (IEWR) for the Indian Air Force. The contract is a significant step towards enhancing the capabilities of IAF to prepare for future warfare. The overall cost of the contract is estimated to be Rs 1,109 crore. The IEWR will be used to test and evaluate airborne Electronic Warfare (EW) equipment and validate their deployment in an operational scenario.
The two projects essentially embody the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India and will help facilitate realising the journey towards self-reliance.