Make In India: State-Owned BEL Signs Contract To Develop India's Maiden Naval Anti-Drone System For Navy

In a bid to enhance its capabilities, the Indian Navy on Tuesday (31 August) signed a contract with the state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for a naval anti-drone system (NADS) with both, "hard kill" and "soft kill" capabilities, reports Hindustan Times.

The development also comes as a big boost for the government's Make in India and indigenisation push in the defence sector as this would mark the first locally made such system as per the details shared in a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence.

As per the statement, NADS can instantly detect and jam micro drones and use a laser-based kill mechanism to terminate targets. It will be an effective, all-encompassing counter to the increased drone threat to strategic naval installations.

The said system has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It has previously also been deployed for VVIP protection duties during Republic Day 2020, the visit of the then US president Donald Trump to Motera stadium in Ahmedabad, Independence Day 2020, Republic Day 2021 and Independence Day 2021.