BEL bags Rs 2,385 crore deal to supply electronic warfare suites for IAF choppers

New Delhi, April 7 (IANS) The Ministry of Defence has signed a Rs 2,385.36 crore contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for the acquisition of Electronic Warfare (EW) Suites and aircraft modification kits as well as their installation on Mi-17 V5 helicopters, along with associated equipment, for the Indian Air Force, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

This state-of-the-art EW Suite will considerably enhance operational survivability of the helicopters in a hostile environment. The majority of sub-assemblies and parts will be sourced from indigenous manufacturers. The project will boost and encourage active participation of Indian electronics and associated industries, including MSMEs.

The contract, under the “Buy Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured category”, was inked in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh here.

The suite for Mi-17 V5 is a significant leap forward in developing indigenous EW capabilities, making the country Aatmanirbhar in consonance with the Make-in-India initiative, the official statement said.

The contract comes close on the heels of BEL’s Rs.593.22 crores deal inked with the Indian Air Force last week for providing maintenance services for the Akash Missile System that kicked off the new financial year 2025-26.

BEL had also supplied the Akash Missile System to the IAF, for which it has won the maintenance contract.

Further, the company has concluded negotiations with customers for acquisition of orders worth Rs 5,000 crore, BEL said in a statement.

The defence PSU has achieved a turnover of around Rs 23,000 crore during the Financial Year 2024-25, against the previous year’s turnover of Rs 19,820 crore, registering a growth of 16 per cent. This includes export sales of around $106 million during FY 2024-25, as against the previous year’s export turnover of $92.98 million, registering a growth of 14 per cent, according to a company statement.

In the fiscal year 2024-25, BEL secured orders worth Rs 18,715 crore. Some of the major orders received during the year are BMP II Upgrade, Ashwini Radar, Software Defined Radios, Data link, Multi-Function Radars, EON 51, Seekers, Anti Drone System, Airport Surveillance Radar, Sonar Upgradation, Flycatcher spares, Radar upgradation, Spares and Services, etc, and other projects in Non-defence sector. With this, the total Order Book of BEL as on April 1, 2025, stands at around Rs 71,650 crore, including the Export Order Book of $359 million.

BEL has reported a 47.3 per cent growth in its net profit for the third quarter ended December 2024 to Rs 1,316.06 crore compared to Rs 893.30 crore in the same quarter of the previous year.

–IANS

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