New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) The Ministry of Defence on Friday signed a contract with public sector defence company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of Air Defence Fire Control Radars for the Indian Army, worth approximately Rs 2,000 crore, under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category.

With a minimum 70 per cent indigenous content, these Fire Control Radars will be able to detect all forms of airborne threats, including fighter aircraft, attack helicopters and enemy drones. This would mark a significant milestone in the modernisation of the Air Defence Regiments and enhance the Indian Army’s operational readiness, while contributing to the economic growth of the nation, according to a Defence Ministry statement.

The contract was signed and exchanged by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence and BEL in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

The procurement marks a pivotal step towards empowering indigenous defence industries by encouraging Indian MSMEs through components manufacturing and raw material supply, the statement said.

The government is keen to promote the country’s defence industry, and earlier this month Defence Acquisition Council, under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, gave the go-ahead for 10 proposals to purchase military hardware, including missiles and electronic warfare systems, worth approximately Rs 1.05 lakh crore through indigenous sourcing.

India’s indigenous defence production has surged to an all-time high of Rs 1.46 lakh crore, with exports increasing to a record Rs 24,000 crore in 2024-25, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“Our defence production, which was only Rs 43,000 crore 10 to 11 years ago, has now crossed a record figure of Rs 1,46,000 crore, with the private sector’s contribution of over Rs 32,000 crore. Our defence exports, which were around Rs 600-700 crore 10 years ago, have surpassed a record figure of Rs 24,000 crore today,” the minister stated in his address at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) annual summit recently.

He described Make-in-India as crucial for security and prosperity, stating that the use of indigenous systems during Operation Sindoor has proved that India has the power to penetrate any armour of the enemy.

“Our weapons, systems, sub-systems, components, and services are reaching around 100 countries. Over 16,000 MSMEs associated with the defence sector have become the backbone of the supply chain. These companies are not only strengthening our self-reliance journey, but are also providing employment to lakhs of people,” the minister said

–IANS

sps/vd