The Government of India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed two contracts worth Rs. 2,696 Cr with Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore, to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities:
- LYNX U2 Fire Control Systems (13 Nos.) for Indian Navy for Rs 1,705 Crs. The Gun Fire Control System was designed with an open and scalable architecture in mind, allowing for simple and flexible implementation in a variety of configurations. The system has been developed, continuously upgraded with indigenisation as a major focus, as well as technological upgrades, and delivered to the Indian Navy. It has been in service for over two decades, meeting the tactical requirements of Indian Naval ships of various classes such as destroyers, frigates, missile, boat, corvettes, and so on. The system proposed in the contract is of fourth generation and is entirely indigenous, developed in the true spirit of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
- The Weapon Locating Radar (Swathi) (12 Nos.) purchased by the Indian Army for Rs 991 Crs is primarily used to locate hostile guns, mortars, and rockets. Its secondary function is to track and observe the fall of shot from own weapons in order to provide corrections to own fire. Advanced algorithms and cutting-edge hardware handle the detection, location, and tracking of the required targets.
The Radar’s key feature is its ability to locate enemy weapons from the first round and transmit the data of the required target to counter fire elements for retaliatory strike before the target is redeployed. SWATHI is a joint development project undertaken by RADAR house LRDE (DRDO) and BEL to meet the Indian Army’s requirements. - These are flagship projects showcasing the indigenous design and manufacturing capabilities of the Indian defence industry, led by BEL and involving other public, private, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). These projects will contribute to the Government of India’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives.