NEW DELHI, Feb 16: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated a state-of-the-art Missile Integration Facility at Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru, flagged off the Akash 3rd and 4th Regiment Combat Systems, and unveiled the Mountain Fire Control Radar, marking a significant boost to India’s indigenous air defence capabilities.
During the visit, he was briefed on advanced homegrown defence technologies and ongoing R&D initiatives, and remotely inaugurated BEL’s Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence in Pune while formally launching the company’s AI Policy.
Praising BEL for strengthening network-centric operations and enhancing combat effectiveness, the Minister said indigenous air defence and anti-drone systems had effectively neutralised threats during Operation Sindoor, adding that AI-driven advancements are instilling greater operational confidence in the armed forces. He emphasised that the domestic defence industry must stay ahead in the technology race to realise the vision of a Viksit Bharat.
“The advancement in threat prediction, early warning, and response mechanisms using AI instills operational confidence in our soldiers. They’re assured that a strong scientific and engineering ecosystem always stands with them,” he added. He underlined the importance of achieving victory with indigenous weapons and technologies in today’s times, stating that only a self-reliant win gives the country renewed confidence.
The Defence Minister that AI and quantum computing are no longer futuristic concepts, and their use in real-time decision-making, autonomous systems, cyber defence, and precision operations is changing battlefield dynamics.
For India to become a developed nation, he exhorted BEL, other DPSUs and industry partners to stay ahead of the curve in the new revolution that lies ahead. He encouraged the R&D community at BEL to collaborate with start-ups, industry, and academia for agile product development using the latest technologies in AI and autonomous systems.
During the visit, the minister was briefed on a range of advanced indigenous defence technologies, including AI-based solutions developed by Indian start-ups, highlighting the growing emphasis on innovation and indigenisation in the defence ecosystem.
He commended BEL for making headway in cutting-edge technologies such as electronic warfare systems, avionics, naval platforms, electro-optics, and tank electronics. “BEL has strengthened the network-centric operations. Its integrated systems, real-time data sharing, and decision support capabilities have taken our combat effectiveness to a new level,” he said.
The minister was apprised of the ongoing R&D activities at BEL aligned with major national defence programmes, including the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile Systems (QRSAM), Light Combat Aircraft Mark II (LCA Mk II), Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), Project Kusha (MR SAM/LR SAM), Counter Drone Systems, Naval Weapon Control Systems.
The briefing highlighted that indigenous R&D initiatives are enhancing operational preparedness across land, air, naval, and strategic domains, while reducing dependence on foreign technologies. Raksha Mantri acknowledged the fact that the systems developed in airspace defence, and counter-drone operations have demonstrated that India’s indigenous solutions can meet global standards.
Indigenisation initiatives undertaken by Central Research Laboratories, CoE-Electronics Warfare & Photonics, CoE-Communication, CoE-Radar & Weapon Systems & Product Development and Innovation Centre of BEL were showcased during the briefing. The start-ups and industry partners also exhibited their products.
(UNI)
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