Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a nearly Rs 8,000 crore deal with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the extension of its programmes integrating all civil and defence radars across the country. The IAF has already established five nodes of the IACCS (Integrated Air Command and Control System) in the western sector, bordering Pakistan.

Under the proposed expansion phase, four new nodes and ten subnodes will come up. While three nodes will be in eastern, central and southern India, the fourth will be for the strategically important Andaman and Nicobar Island. The cabinet committee on security has recently cleared the proposal for the Rs 8,000 crore project. Once the system is in place, the air headquarters will get a composite air situation picture since it will be integrating Air Force, Army, Navy and civilian radars.

Bharat Electronics Limited

• Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) was established at Bangalore.
• BEL is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company with about nine factories, and few regional offices in India.
• BEL is one of the eight PSUs under Ministry of Defence. It has even earned the government’s Navratna status.
• BEL is the lead integrator of Akash, the Indian-made guided missile air defence weapon system.

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