Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is one of the eight Defence Public Sector Undertakings. It was established at Bangalore by the Government of India under the Ministry of Defence in the year 1954. In April 1954, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) came into being at Jalahalli, Bangalore. Starting with a modest turnover of Rs. 2 lakhs in 1956-57, by the end of the decade, BEL registered a turnover of Rs. 4.69 crores in 1963-64. BEL recorded its maiden profit of Rs. 7 lakhs in 1959-60, which went up to Rs. 54 lakhs in 1963-64. BEL started off with a core group of French and Indian engineers and managers. The first batch of technicians was recruited in October 1954. A training school, Technical Training Centre, was established at that time to train the recruits. The first batch of senior officers were recruited in 1955 and sent to France for training. With a staff strength of 768 in March 1957, the number of personnel in BEL rose to 4,035 by March 1964.

CSF, France who were assisting BEL were not fully equipped to plan and construct a factory of BEL’s size. Delays were also encountered in converting French documents into English. The company had also to face the challenge of unreasonable terms & conditions set by the collaborators for entering into ToT agreements.

Manufacture of a VHF transreceiver began in 1967 in collaboration with RCA. HF communication sets were made in the late Sixties with Siemens technology and in 1971 with BEL design. BEL started manufacturing in-house designed V/UHF communication sets in the early Seventies. BEL started making radars in collaboration with LRDE – and S-Band Local Warming Radar in 1967 and an X-Band Field Artillery Radar in 1972. The second Unit of BEL was set up at Ghaziabad in 1974 to cater to the Air Defence Ground Environment Systems (ADGES) of the Indian Air Force. This Unit started manufacture of an S-Band 3-D Radar with a range of 230 nautical miles for air surveillance in 1974 in collaboration with Thomson CSF. Secondary Surveillance Radars were manufactured in association with DLRL from the early Seventies. A Storm Warning Radar of BEL design was made in the early Seventies. Frigate Radar Systems were manufactured in collaboration with HAS, Holland, in 1964.

BEL R&D departments rolled out many products like HF and VHF radios and Storm Warning Radar. BEL continued to benefit from collaboration with world technology leaders like Siemens, Thomson CSF, HAS, NEC, RCA and Phillips. BEL’s association with DRDO labs like LRDE and DLRL began. The ambitious plan to develop a new generation almost state-of-the-art equipment necessitated a massive upgradation of infrastructure.

BEL’s association with reputed global companies gave it an opportunity to evolve an integrated approach to Quality. Quality Assurance became a way of life at BEL. Quality and Reliability Departments were set up in 1972 as also Environmental Testing Labs. A Quality Manual was brought out in 1974 and Quality of Designs in the early Seventies.

BEL supplied in-house designed HF and VHF transreceivers, UHF Radio Relays, Radios and Analog Tropo – both static and mobile, to the Indian Army in the Seventies. In the early Eighties, BEL manufactured Automatic Electronic Switch for the Army with LRDE technology. PSM 33, a 3-D Mobile Radar, was manufactured in collaboration with Thomson CSF and supplied to the Indian Air Force in 1983. BEL manufactured Cymbeline X-Band Tracking Radar under licence from Thorn EMI, UK, for the Army in 1984. Naval Surveillance Radars and Navigational Radars were supplied to the Navy in the Eighties. Sonar’s with NPOL technology were supplied to the Navy in the late Seventies. BEL entered the 3-D Radar arena in a big way.

Since 1985 onwards BEL-designed Fully Solid State HF receiver, VHF multi-role transreceiver, Secure Tactical Radio in VHF Band for manpack role, V/UHF transreceiver for ground-to-ground and ground-to- air communication, Secure Message Terminals and Encryptors were brought out in the Eighties and Nineties. In collaboration with LRDE, BEL manufactured an encryptor for HF transreceivers, a microprocessor controlled automatic exchange for use in the forward areas and a portable telephone Switch Board for field use at the battalion level during the Eighties. BEL designed and manufactured Digital Tropo communication equipment for the Army and Air Force in 1985. BEL designed and supplied Control and Reporting Centre, a Satcom system for Radar networking, to the Air Force during 1990-93. The Flycatcher Radar, air defence weapon control radar, was manufactured in collaboration with HSA and supplied to the Army in 1987. STENTOR, a long range X-band battlefield surveillance radar manufactured in collaboration with LCTAR, France, was supplied from 1990-92. INDRA Mk I, air defence radar which was engineered concurrently with LRDE, was supplied to the Army and Air Force in 1992.

BEL supplied the Navy with Shipborne Electronic Warfare Systems manufactured with technology from DLRL in 1990 and the Air Force with Radar Warning Receivers made with technology from DARE in 1994. Laser Range Finders were manufactured in the late Eighties. Night vision binoculars with LRDE technology were made in the late Eighties. BEL-designed Tank Fire Control Systems were supplied to the Army in 1987. Gun Stabiliser System with Russian technology was supplied to the Army in 1988. In 1985, the fifth Unit was set up in Chennai for supply of Tank Electronics, with proximity to HVF, Avadi. The sixth Unit was set up at Panchkula the same year to manufacture Tactical Communication equipment. 1986 witnessed the setting up of the seventh Unit at Kotdwara to manufacture Telecom Equipment, the eight Unit to manufacture TV Glass Shells at Navi Mumbai (which now makes Antennae, hydraulics, shelters and security systems) and the ninth Unit at Hyderabad to manufacture Electronic Warfare Equipment.

The agreement for setting up BEL’s first Joint Venture Company, BE DELFT, with M/s Delft of Holland was signed in 1990. Recently, this became a subsidiary of BEL with the exit of the foreign partner and has been renamed BEL Optronic Devices Limited. BEL gained expertise in VHF/UHF/Tropo Communication Systems and Secure Message Terminals. BEL’s fruitful association with DRDO continued. BEL also continued to use technology from overseas. BEL established two Central Research Laboratories – at Bangalore in 1988 and at Delhi in 1992, to focus on futuristic R&D in areas of interest to BEL. R&D Departments were established in all the Other Units of BEL.

BEL in 1990’s, faced the regime of US sanctions and Passive sanctions from some of the European countries. These resulted in awakening BEL by concentrating more on non-US components in its design. BEL successfully faced the sanction regime and it turned out very beneficial to the company as BEL could carry out many design changes in its products to overcome the sanctions. BEL successfully converted the adversity into an opportunity. BEL could find out alternatives for many of the US components and, in many cases, source it at lower prices.

During late 1990’s and early 2000’s, BEL added many new products like Reporter Radar, Upgrade Flycatcher Radar, Battle Field Surveillance Radar – Medium Range, Battle Field Surveillance Radar- Short Range, EW Systems for Army, Navy and Air Force, Hand Held Thermal Imagers, Integrated Observation Equipment, VHF Radios, Radio Relays, Solar Products and Solar Power Systems, Compact Vacuum Interrupters, Gunner’s Main Sight etc.

During this decade, globalisation started the entry of private and foreign companies into Defence Sector. Kelkar Committee’s recommendations leading to Defence Procurement Procedures (DPP) paved the way for private sector participation in Defence Sector. BEL geared up to face this competitive market scenario and planned strategies to convert the perceived threats to opportunities. The competition helped BEL to improve itself and has been successful to face the challenges of new emerging market forces.

In order to give better customer focus, Bangalore Unit was converted into six Strategic Business Units, with each SBU having clear focus on its product range and customers. This has helped Bangalore Unit to address the product/customer issue very effectively. The six SBUs are Military Radar, Naval Systems, Military Communication & Electronic Warfare Systems, Components, Export Manufacturing, Telecom & Broadcast Systems. BEL R&D has matured and R&D set up has been restructured into a 3-layer organization to meet the needs of the customers effectively and efficiently.

Today, BEL spends around 4-5% of its turnover on R&D and the returns from R&D is very significant as nearly 75% of BEL’s turnover comes from indigenous R&D , both through in-house development and development through DRDO Labs.

The Company has nine manufacturing units located at Bangalore, Ghaziabad, Pune, Panchkula, Kotdwara, Hyderabad, Machilipatnam, Chennai and Navi Mumbai. Each of the Units is working in specific business areas.

Bangalore:
Military Communication & Electronic Warfare Systems, Radars, Naval Systems and Sonars, CI Systems, Simulators, Sound & Vision Broadcast Equipment, Simulators and Components

Ghaziabad:
Radars & Micro Wave Communication Equipment, Antennas

Pune:
Batteries, X-ray Tubes, Electro Optics, Laser Range Finders & Target Designators

Machilipatnam:
Night Vision Devices and Thermal Imagers.

Panchkula:
Military Communication Equipment

Kotdwara:
Defence Communication Equipment and Telecom Products for Civil & Defence

Navi Mumbai:
Hydraulics for Stabilisers, Shelters, Mast, Flycatcher Antenna System

Chennai:
Tank Electronics, Stabiliser Drives, Advanced Land Navigation Systems, Integrated Fire control Systems, Gun Upgrades Hyderabad Electronic Warfare Equipment

Based on the MoU performance, the company has been rated in the “Excellent” category continuously for the last 8 years by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPEs) and was conferred the status of “Mini Ratna” by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) during the year 2001. All the nine factories are certified for ISO 9001:2000 ISO 14001:2004.

The customer profile of BEL can be broadly classified into two groups viz., Defence & Non-Defence (Civil). While the Army, Navy & Air Force constitute the Defence Services, other customers like Defence Public Sector Undertakings viz., HVF, Avadi, Medak, the three Shipbuilding Companies viz., Mazagon Dock Limited, Garden Reach Shipbuilding and Engineers, Goa Shipyard Limited, Bharat Dynamics Limited etc procure items from BEL for incorporation in the systems viz., Tanks/Ships manufactured by them for eventual supply to Defence Services. Apart from this, Paramilitary Forces like Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Central Industrial Security Forces etc also procure items from BEL.

On an average, more than 80% of BEL’s turnover is for the Defence Services and BEL’s contributions to the Services in their various programmes like Plan AREN & PMO BSS for Army, Plan ADGES for Air Force and Navy’s modernisation programmes have been very significant. Today, BEL meets a variety of requirements of the Services in the areas of Radars, Sonar’s, Communication Equipment and Systems, SATCOM, Tank Electronics, Electronic Warfare Equipment, Command Control Systems etc., meeting stringent Defence specifications with the assurance of lifetime product support. R&D engineers also associate with the projects being acquired through transfer of technology from foreign countries to support documentation initially & to give product support & Indigenisation activities.

The line up for future orders is also impressive. Bangalore Unit is gearing up for STARS ‘V’ FH, Radio Trunking System (RTS), Mk II, Upgraded Flycatcher Radar, Battle Field Surveillance Radar (Short Range), PRC 6020, Intelligent Message Terminal (IMT), VPS Mk III, Ghaziabad Unit gearing up for order for Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) SANJAY. Machilipatnam Unit waits order for hand Held Thermal Imager (HHTI), Night Vision Devices. Kotdwara unit waits order SRAX Mk II and Panchkula Unit is waiting order for STARS ‘V’ FH, VPS Mk III, Combat Net Radio (NCR).

In the above projects, the projects like STARTS ‘V’ FH, RTS Mk II, SHAKTI, SANJAY, SRAX Mk II are going to be inducted for the first time in the Services. These products have undergone extensive trials and evaluation and are ready for induction. The above projects are under various stages of ordering by MoD. RFP expected shortly for Upgraded Flycatcher Radar, partial Upgrade of Flycatcher, PRC 6020. CNC completed and order is awaited for HHTI & BFSR – SR.

Exports

BEL has successes in exports too. The items exported last year were radars & Radar sub-systems like Battle Field Surveillance Radar (BFSR-SR), IFF Mk X with Antenna, Refurbishment of Cymbeline, Radar & Spares, Spares of IFF Mk X, Installation and Integration Services for RWR, Air Defence System – Skyshield, Transmitter sub-system for X-Band Radar, 3D Radar TRS 2215 Spares and Target Designator Sight (TDS)

BEL has been participating in international exhibitions to promote its products for exports. Some of the recent exhibitions in the last 3 years:
April 2003 Latin America Defence 2003, Brazil
September 2004 Africa Aerospace & Defence 2004, South Africa
May 2005 IMDEX (International Maritime Defence Exhibition &
Conference), Singapore
September 2006 Africa Aerospace & Defence 2006, South Africa

Indigenisation

BEL has got some success in achieving indigenization level in equipments like USFM Radar, Flycatcher Radar, Reporter Radar, UHF Radio Relay RL 432, Laser Range Finder LH-30, HHTI and PRC 6020. There has been consistent improvement of the percentage of indigenous content to the total material of the equipment produced by BEL since 2001-02. The percentage of indigenous content to the total material during 2005-06 is 45.22%. The total revenue earned by BEL, 70-75 per cent of revenue is coming from products, manufactured based on indigenous design and development and only about 30 per cent of the revenue is coming from products, manufactured based on technology transfer and BEL is getting a preference if they are meeting the customers’ requirement.

BEL is setting up of test facility, Turret Stand for manufacture of Stabilizer and Automatic loading Gear for T90-S Tanks – This will help in the indigenous manufacture of 1000 Nos. of T90-S tanks for which BEL has to supply stabilizers and auto loading gear. In addition manufacturing facility for co-production of Micro Wave Assembly for TARANG Mk IB – For producing super components for use in Electronic Warfare Equipment at an estimated cost of Rs 8.85 Crs. BEL is also upgrading its shelter manufacturing facility to produce state-of-the-art shelters required for Defence Forces at a cost of Rs 6.6 Crs.

While most projects are upgrade by BEL R&D teams, some of BEL systems like L-70 guns and Zu-23 and Shilka are all upgrade programmes with external help. For L-70, BEL is working with Ordnance Factories while on Zu-23 BEL is working with an Israeli company because BEL does not have all the expertise to develop this upgrade
programmes.”

In the surface ship sonar’s, the indigenous development programme started in 1974 and up to now, 25 systems have been commissioned in Naval Ships. The sonar system is manufactured completely in India and only components are sourced form abroad. All sonar’s use transducers, which are also manufactured in India. Sonar’s under this category are of NPOL design. BEL has taken up the upgrade and reconfiguration of the original systems. Some of the sonar’s developed and supplied under this category are:

• Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull Mounted (APSOH)
• Hull Mounted and Variable Depth Sonar (HUMVAD)
• Hull Mounted Sonar Advance (HUMSA)
• NAGAN
• Towed Torpedo Decoy (TOTED)

With the experience of manufacturing these Sonar’s, BEL has developed expertise for high frequency, hull mounted, single array, dual array sonar’s. The special digital processing techniques for getting better range and bearing accuracy have also been acquired. Also, the digital beam forming technology has been deployed in these sonar’s. On the submarine Sonar’s, the indigenous development programme started in 1990s and up to now 5 systems has been manufactured and two are under evaluation in Indian submarines. The sonar systems is manufactured by BEL with designs from NPOL.

BEL has been working on airborne Sonar’s with designs from NPOL since 1990. The sonar’s under this category are:

• MIHIR – Light Weight Helicopter borne dipping sonar’s.
• SONOBUOYS – Air dropped passive non-directional radio sonobuoy

Over the years, BEL has assimilated various technologies for different types of sonar’s and also established in-house facilities for testing and manufacture of these sonar’s. NPOL, Cochin is a technology partner for BEL for meeting most of the requirements
of Navy. However, in certain emergent cases, with new technologies, foreign collaboration is also resorted. BEL is trying to tie up with foreign collaborator for Towed Array Sonar’s for Submarines, Airborne sonar’s (LF version) and Mine hunting sonar’s.”

In the radars category, BEL started Radar manufacturing way back in 1964 and since then, a large number of Radars have been supplied both for Military and Civilian Customers. The Radars manufactured at BEL include a wide variety of Radars for Land based and Ship borne applications. These Radars have been manufactured through joint development/collaboration with DRDO Labs or technology obtained from foreign vendors.

BEL’s R&D strengths are aimed towards absorption of technology and development of products, subsystems and systems. As a result, BEL has been able to upgrade some of the Radars earlier supplied to the customers. For an early introduction of some new technologies of customer interest, BEL ties up with reputed foreign companies for technology acquisition and tries to absorb the new technologies to provide life cycle support for such products including obsolescence management and subsequent product upgrades.

Fire Control Radars (Superfledermaus, SFM) is the first family of Radars based on value technology was manufactured by BEL under license collaboration from foreign vendor. These Radars have been subsequently upgraded to incorporate the then technology of Transistors/ICs as well as improvement in the performance level. These SFM families of Radars were succeeded by Flycatcher. Flycatcher Radar, an Air Defence Weapon Control search and track radar backed by optronic tracking features was manufactured under license production form HAS, Holland. Subsequently, these Radars have been upgraded in-house, for Jam resistance, provided with Raster Scan colour display replacing conventional CRT tube display. With an experience gained in the field of Radars, BEL, in close association with DRDO Labs, is in the process of introducing new Radars with the state-of-the-art technology. Some of the Radars which are based on the Passive/Active Phased Array Technology are being concurrently produced at BEL, with the technology from LRDE Bangalore viz., Central Acquisition Radar (CAR), Weapon Locating Radar (WLR) and Battery Level Radar (BLR). Recently, BEL with DRDO Labs has taken up the development of Multi-Function Radar (MFR) based on Active Electronically Scanned Phased Array Technology, Radar performing Multi-task, Multi-function viz., Long Range Surveillance, Surface Search, Multitracking, Fire Control Capability and Missile guidance.

Over the years, BEL has established an extensive manufacturing and R&D infrastructure and facilities. Some of the specific infrastructure facilities set up at BEL is (i) antennas Test Site at Sohna, Haryana (ii) EMI/EMC Test facilities (iii) Environmental Test Facilities and (iv) Near Field Antenna Test facility for Phased Array Radars.

With the focused attention of R&D, BEL gives greater emphasis to proactively introduce cutting edge technology in hardware and software. Interaction with indigenous design agency like DRDO will be continued to introduce new generation products. Tie-ups with reputed foreign companies will also be continued to introduce stateof- the-art new products.

The order for TARANG Mk IB was received on 8th September 2005. The completion of 336 systems is over 60 months. The total order value for TARANG project is Rs. 520 crores. Bharat Electronics was supplying TARANG Mk I Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) to Indian Air Force and this RWR uses Switched Filter Assemble (SFA) or Radio Frequency Unit (RFU).

BEL has been manufacturing Jamming devices for military purposes and Jamming systems for jamming of “Remote Controlled Improvised Explosive Devices” (RCIED) for both Military and Civil applications. BEL has the capability to develop and manufacture jamming devices for Broadcast Radios. BEL has constantly been improving the technology of jammers to match technological complexities of IEDs. In this direction BEL has recently developed Multiradio pre-initiator type of jammers and is in the process of developing new jammers to address the perceived sophistication of IEDs. BEL regularly develops newer versions of jammers for meeting the requirements of changing threats of RCIEDs. BEL has already supplied the newer version of jammers to some of the users.

BEL in coming years will remain key vendor for Indian armed forces.