Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a distinguished Navratna Public Sector Undertaking, stands at the forefront of technology, producing cutting-edge electronic systems and products tailored for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Over time, BEL has ventured into diverse fields such as homeland security, smart cities, e-governance, space electronics including satellite integration, energy storage products including e-vehicle charging stations, solar, network and cyber security, as well as railways and metro solutions.
Manoj Jain,
Chairman and Managing Director, BEL
The company also addresses needs in airport solutions, Electronic Voting Machines, telecom products, passive night vision devices, medical electronics, composites, and software solutions. As Manoj Jain, the Chairman and Managing Director of BEL, notes, “BEL has kept itself abreast of rapid technological advancements over the decades and continues to supply advanced Defence systems in over 10 of its broad business segments and has been the preferred supplier in its areas of operations.” In a recent interview with Aeromag, Jain elaborates on BEL’s strategic focus, its product range, export strategies, collaborations, and initiatives related to Make in India.
BEL has been spearheading India’s technological advancements in various sectors. What are the latest cutting-edge defence products and services from BEL to meet the evolving security needs?
BEL has been in the forefront of indigenous design, development and manufacturing for the Indian Defence forces. Towards this, BEL has been consistently investing in R&D, related infrastructure and human resources for the development of technologies required for engineering and development of products / systems as per the requirement of the Tri-services. This is achieved through in-house development and joint development programmes with national R&D institutions, academia, start-ups and partner OEMs. On an average, BEL has been investing around 7% of its turnover on R&D. DRDO has been BEL’s esteemed and leading development partner.
Some of the products/systems involving cutting-edge technologies which have gone into production recently include Improved Akash Weapon System (Seeker based), Avionics System for LCA Tejas, EW suite for fighter jets, Long Range Missile System for Frigates, EW suites for land and naval platforms, Electro Optic (EO) sensors and Fire Control System (FCS) with night vision capability for battle tanks, Active Phased Array Radars Systems, C4I systems for various strategic projects, Sonars and related systems, Anti Submarine Warfare system, etc.
Technologies/products under develop ment include Directed Energy Weapon, Next Gen Airborne EO Sensors (IRST, Airborne Electro Optical Surveillance System, Sensors for Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM), Next Gen Weapon Systems (QRSAM, Akash variants based on advanced Seekers and Precision Guidance), Advanced EW suites for ground, Sensors and FCS for future AFV platforms, Naval and subsurface applications, etc.
The motto of BEL is Quality. Technology. Innovation. As BEL celebrates its 70th anniversary, how do you ensure that you remain at the forefront of technological advancements? How can the company leverage innovation to propel growth?
The Ministry of Defence has set a target of Rs. 3 Lakh Crore annual Defence production and Rs. 50,000 Crore exports by 2028-29. To encourage the domestic Defence industry and to achieve “Atmanirbharta” in Defence, MoD had issued five positive indigenisation lists (PIL) of the Services, comprising approximately 500 items, with staggered timelines barring import of these advanced Defence systems. Most of the systems in the list involve niche / restricted technology systems which otherwise were to be imported from foreign OEMs. This is a huge opportunity and challenge to domestic Defence players to meet the time lines.
BEL was the first in the country to supply communication Radios, Radars, Night Vision equipment, Sonars and EW systems to the Indian Defence forces. BEL has kept itself abreast of rapid technological advancements over the decades and continues to supply advanced Defence systems in over 10 of its broad business segments and has been the preferred supplier in its areas of operations.
Going forward, to meet the targets set by MoD and Government of India, BEL is adopting a multi-pronged strategy which includes steps such as:
• Investing in human resources for acquiring the required capabilities for development of new technologies.
• Continuous investment in R&D infrastructure and resources.
• Setting up of Centres of Excellence in select technology domains of prime importance to address customer requirements.
• Expanding the technological sphere of its niche R&D centres (CRLs) to include emerging and futuristic technologies in the scope of its research.
Collaboration in R&D: In order to leverage the R&D expertise in the country and with an aim to expedite the development of systems required for the Defence forces, BEL collaborates with academia (IISC, IITs and other national academic institutes of eminence), national R&D institutions (DRDO, CSIR, etc), start-ups, select private Defence companies, etc, for its R&D programmes.
BEL along with HAL had formed the Defence Innovation organisation (DIO), a no profit company aimed at the creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in Defence. As an initiative of MoD, IDEX challenges have been launched under DIO, which has been instrumental in establishing a culture of innovation in Defence & Aerospace. Many start-ups have been participating in the IDEX challenges. Some of them have already developed deep-tech required for A&D and have been successful commercially. The technologies so developed are available to the industry for commercialisation and scaling up to meet the requirements of Defence forces.
How does BEL support India’s Atmanirbharata? Could you talk about the latest initiatives in this regard?
BEL has been giving thrust to indigenous development and manufacturing and strives to achieve the cherished goal of self-reliance by strongly supporting and implementing the Govt’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
BEL (as lead) along with Consortium partners is setting up Defence Testing Infrastructure (DTI) for Electronic Warfare and Communication. BEL is also a consortium partner for DTI for Unmanned Aerial Systems and Electro Optics. The DTIS infrastructure being set up will immensely help the start-up community and MSMEs involved in the development and manufacture of A&D systems. Other initiatives include:
• Setting up of a Centre of Excellence in AI and Software Development Centre at Indore to tap the talent available in tier-2 cities.
• BEL procures more than 30% of its input requirement from MSMEs. BEL also engages in collaborative R&D, outsources work to Indian private industries in addition to MSMEs, and engages in Public-Private Partnerships to execute turnkey projects. Akash Weapon system is a true example of public-private and MSME partnership for a turnkey indigenous platform. These initiatives are in alignment with the Government’s vision of indigenisation and self-reliance.
• BEL has established new training facilities at its Centre for Learning & Development (CLD), a Skill Development Centre (SDC) as per National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)/ National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF)/ Qualification Pack (QP) Guidelines/norms and conducting four skill development training programmes of electronics sector in addition to other sectors (Capital Goods Sector), under Skill India Mission Programme. As part of this, trainers and facilities have been certified by NSDC for conducting and facilitating skill development training programmes at SDC. On an average, BEL imparts skill /vocational training/apprenticeship to more than 2,500 ITI/Diploma/Graduate engineers annually.
The record turnover can be attributed to multiple factors which are part of BEL’s process and consciously planned and consistently implemented. These include:
a) BEL’s consistent investments in its R&D. BEL’s R&D roll on projects are aimed at short, medium-term and long-term projects.
b) Collaboration with DRDO for joint development projects for major projects and other technology partners.
c) Support of end users/customers during the development stage in terms of field evaluation, feedback for improvement, product qualification during production phase.
d) Support of MSMEs for enhancing their capabilities to match with the required quality standards and playing active role in BEL’s supply chain.
e) Implementation of project management techniques for execution of all major projects through deployment of certified PMPs in projects.
BEL is optimistic that with the successful execution of complex strategic projects, its investments in R&D, development of technologies through in-house and in collaboration with technology partners (DRDO and other partners) and actively pursuing the business opportunities with its expanded marketing network will secure major contracts, consistently, in the years to come.
How is BEL aligning its business strategy, products, and client base to support India’s export ambitions in the defence sector?
Exports are the key to BEL’s growth strategy. BEL has identified select products and systems for targeted marketing in focussed export markets.
In the last few years BEL has made substantial progress, both in terms of export orders acquisition and dispatches. BEL’s exports for FY 23-24 have grown by 92% to a record USD 92.98 Million. The export order book as on 1st April 2024 stood at a record $ 407 Million.
Exports have seen substantial increase in the global reach in terms of markets and also the range of products; which include Airborne EO sensors, land based radars, self protection suite for airborne platforms, T/R modules, Radio communication equipment, MRCC, etc. BEL is enhancing its geostrategic reach and strategically opening overseas marketing offices in the Indian Ocean Region, South East Asia, Middle East Region and Americas.
BEL has six overseas marketing offices and plans to progressively setup new overseas offices, reposition existing overseas offices for effectively seizing the export opportunities.
