Defence Ministry’s Rs 5,400 crore Defence Contract

The Ministry of Defence of India has recently signed three defence contracts with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) on March 29, 2023. The total cost of these three contracts is nearly Rs 5,400 crore. This decision was taken to support the modernization of India’s armed forces and make them more self-sufficient.

Project Akashteer

The first project contracted with BEL is Project Akashteer, which costs Rs 1,982 crore. This project’s goal is to empower the Indian Army’s Air Defence units with indigenous, state-of-the-art capabilities. The Indian Army will be the primary beneficiary of this project, which will enhance their Air Defence capabilities and enable them to operate in an integrated manner. This project will help reduce India’s dependence on foreign technologies, making it more self-reliant.

Sarang Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems

The second project contracted with BEL is Sarang Electronic Support Measure (ESM) systems, which costs Rs 412 crore. The purpose of this project is to provide advanced Electronic Support Measure systems for helicopters of the Indian Navy. This project is expected to provide a significant boost to the Indian Navy’s capabilities, enabling them to conduct reconnaissance, surveillance, and other operations with greater efficiency.

GSAT 7B

The third project contracted by the Ministry of Defence is an advanced Communication Satellite, named GSAT 7B. NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) has been contracted for this project, which costs Rs 2,963 crore. This communication satellite will provide enhanced communication capabilities to India’s armed forces, which will help them in critical operations.

Month: Current Affairs – April, 2023

Category: Defence Current Affairs