New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad, for the procurement of five ground-based Mobile Electronic Systems, worth Rs 1,476 crore, for the Indian Army with a minimum 72 per cent indigenous content.

The contract, under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category, was inked in the presence of Defence Secretary Kumar Singh at Kartavya Bhawan here.

BEL produces advanced, indigenous ground-based mobile electronic systems for the Indian Army, focusing on Electronic Warfare (EW), surveillance, and secure tactical communication.

The system will modernise the Indian Army units and strengthen the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem of the country. The contract reinforces Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government’s commitment to Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India in the defence sector, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.

A ground-based mobile electronic system is a vehicle-mounted electronic intelligence platform designed to detect, analyse, locate, and monitor enemy radar and electronic emissions in real-time. Typically, these systems feature high-sensitivity receivers, 360-degree coverage, and 3D mapping for rapid battlefield situational awareness and surveillance.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the government has placed defence research at the centre of its priorities and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has already transferred 2,200 technologies to various industries.

Addressing the North Tech Symposium, organised here by the Indian Army, the minister underscored the importance of sustained focus on research and cultivating the element of surprise to stay future-ready in the present era of intense technological revolution.

He pointed out that 25 per cent of the Defence R&D budget has been allocated to the industry, academia, and start-ups, and to date, these entities have already utilised over Rs 4,500 crore of the budget.

He underlined that the Government’s self-reliance efforts are yielding positive results as the domestic defence production has reached a record high of Rs 1.54 lakh crore in Financial Year 2025-26, with defence exports touching an all-time high figure of Rs 38,424 crore.

–IANS

sps/vd