Defence Ministry inks contract worth Rs 820 crore for armed forces' modernisation drive

New Delhi: Giving a fillip to the modernisation drive of the Indian armed forces, the defence ministry on Thursday signed two contracts worth Rs 820 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), ACE Limited and JCB India Limited.

With Bengaluru-based BEL, the defence ministry will 149 Software Defined Radios (SDR) for Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at a total cost of Rs 1220.12 crore while a total of 1,868 Rough Terrain Fork Lift Truck (RTFLT) for Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy will be procured from ACE Limited and JCB India Limited at a total cost of Rs 697.35 crore.

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Software Defined Radios

Indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured, the software defined radios will provide a significant boost to the country's manufacturing capabilities for advanced military-grade communication systems in line with Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Induction of SDRs marks the transition from present single purpose radios to multi-band, multi-mode and multi-role radios of the future.

Indian Coast Guard units require high speed secure communication along with secure networking capability for seamless information exchange for coordinated operations at sea.

SDRs will enable secure and reliable information sharing, situational awareness and network centric operations through high-speed data and secure voice communication capability.

This will strengthen the ICG’s capability to fulfill its core responsibilities, including maritime law enforcement, search and rescue operations, fisheries protection, and marine environment protection. Additionally, these radios will enhance interoperability for joint operations with the Indian Navy.

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Rough Terrain ForkLift Truck (RTFLT)

It is a critical equipment which will assist in various combat and logistics support tasks by avoiding manual handling of an enormous number of stores and thus enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

The present case being a Buy (Indian) case will enhance national defence equipment manufacturing capabilities.

In a statement, the ministry said: “This project has immense potential of direct and indirect employment generation by encouraging the MSME sector through component’s manufacturing. The procurement marks a pivotal step towards modernising India’s defence infrastructure and empowering indigenous industries, which will be a proud flag-bearer of ‘Aatmnirbhar Bharat’.”

These contracts were inked in the presence of the defence secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh.

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