Gulmarg and Pfutsero identified as deployment locations
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday signed a capital acquisition contract worth about Rs 1,950 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the procurement of two mountain radars for the Indian Air Force, along with associated equipment and infrastructure.
The agreement was signed in New Delhi on March 31, under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) category, in the presence of senior officials of the Ministry and Bharat Electronics Limited.
The radars are indigenously designed and developed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation and will be manufactured by BEL.
The systems are expected to be deployed in high altitude locations, including Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir and Pfutsero in Nagaland, to enhance monitoring capabilities in sensitive areas.
“The installation and commissioning of these radars will boost the country’s air defence and strengthen national security. The procurement will also reduce the dependency on foreign equipment,” the Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to available details, the radars are designed for high altitude operations and are capable of low level detection, including tracking drones and other aerial objects. They are expected to provide 360 degree coverage and improved signal processing in complex terrain.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has indicated that the radar can detect aerial targets at ranges of up to 400 km and identify objects with a radar cross section of up to 2 square metres at distances of up to 300 km.
The procurement is part of efforts to strengthen indigenous defence capabilities and improve surveillance along critical border areas.
