Defence Ministry inks contract with BEL

Context:

Recently, the Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad.

Relevance:

GS-03 (Defence)

Key highlights

  • The objective of the contract is to procure 11 Shakti Electronic Warfare Systems along with associated equipment/accessories for the Indian Navy under the Buy (Indian – IDDM) category.
  • The Total estimated cost is said to be Rs.2269.54 Cr.

Shakti Electronic Warfare System :

  • The Shakti EW System is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by the Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) in Hyderabad for the Indian Navy’s capital ships.
  • The system is capable of detecting, identifying, jamming, classifying, and intercepting modern and conventional radars.
  • It has also been integrated with the wideband Electronic CounterMeasure (ECM) and Electronic Support Measures (ESM) to defend the Indian Navy’s ships against missile attacks.
  • The Shakti EW System will be installed onboard capital warships of the Indian Navy.
  • The project will generate employment of two and half lakh man-days over four years with the participation of more than 155 industry partners including MSMEs.