BEL bags order for supply of Arudhra Radars to IAF: India’s ministry of defence Thursday signed two contracts worth over Rs 3,700 crore with the state owned defence electronics company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for supply of radars and radar warning receivers, which will enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force. The first contract worth over Rs 2,800 crore includes supply of Medium Power Radars (MPR) ‘Arudhra’ for the IAF, and the second order, with an overall cost of around Rs 950 crore, relates to 129 DR-118 Radar Warning Receivers (RWR).
Both projects are under ‘Buy Indian-IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured)’ category. The projects are aimed at enhancing surveillance, detection, tracking and electronic warfare capabilities of the air force.
“These essentially embody the spirit of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and will help facilitate the realisation of the country’s journey to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing,” the Indian Air Force said in a statement.
READ: India remains largest arms importer as Russia’s share declines below 50%: SIPRI
India’s Arudhra Radar.
READ: Leonardo wins contract to upgrade Italian Air Force’s C-27J aircraft
India’s Arudhra Radar
MPR (Arudhra) radar has been indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and will be manufactured by BEL. Its successful trials have already been conducted by the IAF.
It is a 4D multi-function phased array radar with electronic steering in both azimuth and elevation for surveillance, detection and tracking of aerial targets.
The system will have target identification based on interrogations from co-located identification friend or foe system. The DR-118 RWR will considerably enhance the electronic warfare capabilities of the Su-30MKI aircraft. Majority of sub-assemblies and parts will be sourced from indigenous manufacturers, the statement said.
Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi Fighter Jet.
READ: Pratt & Whitney will supply 278 F135 jet engines for F-35 fighters
The IAF said the project will boost and encourage active participation of Indian electronics and associated industries, including MSMEs. It is also expected to generate employment of approximately two lakh man-days over a period of three and half years.
READ: IAI offers Software Defined Radio with network centric operations
