India inks defence deals worth Rs 39,125 crore, including extended range BrahMos missiles

The Defence Ministry on Friday signed five key contracts worth Rs 39K crore including purchase of extended range Brahmos for the navy along with engines for MiG-29, and close in weapon systems and radar for air defence.

The mega procurement projects were firmed up amid India's lingering border row with China in eastern Ladakh, with an eye towards the government's policy to boost domestic defence manufacturing. The contracts were signed in presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and senior officials.

The biggest chunk of the order worth over 20,000 crore went to the BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd in two separate contracts for procuring extended range BrahMos missiles at a cost of Rs 19,518.65 crore and buying the ship-born BrahMos system for Rs 988 crore.

These missiles would be utilized to meet combat outfit and training requirements of the Indian Navy, the defence ministry said.

"The largest ever indigenous missiles contract for the Indian Navy concluded with Brahmos Aerospace for supply of enhanced range BrahMos missiles. This will significantly boost the maritime strength and indigenous combat capability of the navy," said an official.

The deal to purchase 200 BrahMos cruise missiles with a range of 450 km was signed a week after the Cabinet Committee of Security gave its nod.

BrahMos missiles are the Indian Navy's primary weapon for maritime strike operations and the weapons will be fitted onboard various frontline warships.

“The missile system is capable of hitting land or sea targets from extended ranges with pinpoint accuracy at supersonic speed,” the ministry said.

Two contracts worth more than Rs 13,300 crore were signed with L&T for buying a weapon system for air defence and high-power radar for improved surveillance.

The L&T contracts includes a Rs 7,669 crore deal to buy Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) for the IAF for deployment across India to protect vital assets from all types of low flying, low signature aerial threats including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

The CIWS comprises Air Defence Guns, Tracking Radars and a Search Radar linked to a Command and Control Shelter along with associated simulators and communication equipment.

The ministry also signed a Rs 5,700 crore contract with the L&T to buy high power radar, which is a static sensor for long range aerial surveillance with higher uptime.

Equipped with multiple next-gen features and capable of remote operations, they will augment the IAF’s capabilities for monitoring special zones of interest, designating and tracking adversaries with optimal accuracy.

“The project is turnkey in nature and is to be executed across multiple locations,” the company said in a statement.

The final contract was with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for buying RD-33 aero-engines for MiG-29 fighter jets of the IAF at a cost of Rs 5,249.72 crore.

To be produced by the Koraput Division of HAL, these aero engines are expected to fulfill the IAF's need to sustain the operational capability of the MiG-29 fleet for the residual service life. The aero-engines will be manufactured under Transfer of Technology license from the Russian original equipment manufacturer.

"The programme will focus on indigenisation of several high value critical components, which would help increase the indigenous content of future Repair and Overhaul tasks of RD-33 aero-engines," the defence ministry said.