India is taking strides in strengthening its defense capabilities with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently signing three contracts worth ₹5,400 crore.

 

Two of these contracts are with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of Automated Air Defence Control and Reporting System ‘Project Akashteer’ for the Army and Sarang Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems for the Navy.

 

The third contract is with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Space, for an advanced communication satellite, GSAT 7B, for the Army. The geostationary satellite, being a first-of-its-kind in the five-tonne category, will be developed indigenously by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This satellite will considerably enhance the communication capability of the Indian Army by providing mission critical beyond line of sight communication to troops and formations as well as weapon and airborne platforms.

 

The contract for ‘Project Akashteer’ worth ₹1,982 crore will empower the Army’s Air Defence units with an indigenous, state-of-the-art capability, to effectively operate in an integrated manner. Akashteer will enable monitoring of low level airspace over the battle areas of Indian Army and effectively control the ground based air defence weapon systems.

 

The ₹412-crore contract for Sarang ESM systems along with associated engineering support package from BEL, Hyderabad will generate an employment of approximately two lakh man-days over a period of three years. Sarang is an advanced ESM system for helicopters of the Navy, designed and developed indigenously by the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory, Hyderabad under the programme, Samudrika.

 

The MoD’s recent contracts are a testament to India’s growing defense capabilities. With the development of advanced communication satellites and integrated air defense systems, India is now better equipped to protect its citizens and assets. This is an important step towards India’s goal of becoming a self-reliant and secure nation.