Defence Ministry signs Rs 3,102 crore contracts with BEL Hyderabad, Bengaluru units

The Defence Ministry has signed two contracts worth Rs 3,102 crore with the Bengaluru and Hyderabad units of Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). The Defence Ministry 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, Bengaluru-headquartered BEL said in a statement on Wednesday. "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," it said.

The EW suite has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The Defence Ministry 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 statement said. 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' while it will also help facilitate realising the journey towards self-reliance, according to the statement.