Defence Ministry Signs ₹770 Crore Deal With BEL for Improved Low-Level Radars to Help the Army Spot Small Drones
The Defence Ministry has signed a roughly ₹770 crore contract with BEL for Improved Low Level Light Weight Radars, which can detect and track everything from fighter aircraft to mini and micro drones. The unit count and delivery schedule have not been disclosed.
The Ministry of Defence on October 21, 2026 signed a contract worth roughly ₹770 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for Improved Low Level Light Weight Radars (LLLR-I) for the Indian Army. The contract was signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
The order is modest next to India's larger radar programmes. What it buys matters more than its size: a portable sensor that can pick out mini and micro drones flying low, alongside conventional aircraft. That target set now drives much of the Army's air-defence planning.
What the Army is buying
According to the ministry's announcement, as carried by The Tribune, ETV Bharat and The Week, the LLLR-I is built to detect and track targets from fighter-sized aircraft down to mini and micro drones, and to prioritise aerial targets automatically so that ground-based air-defence units can decide what to engage first.
Reports describe the radar's ability to pick up low radar cross-section (RCS) targets as its main advantage. Small quadcopters and fixed-wing drones made largely of plastic and composites return very little radar energy. Older low-level radars, designed around helicopters and aircraft, can lose them in ground clutter.
The ministry has not disclosed how many radars the contract covers, the delivery schedule, or how the ₹770 crore is split. It has framed the deal as a step towards indigenising air-defence platforms and said it will support domestic manufacturing, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in BEL's supplier base.
How the order came about
The Army has been working on this for some time. In August 2026, Bharatshakti reported that the ministry had issued a request for proposal (RFP) for 30 LLLR-I systems plus two classroom variants, valued at about ₹725 crore, under the fast-track procurement route and the "Buy (Indian)" category. That report said the radars were meant to scan the airspace and detect and track very low-RCS targets.
The ministry has not said whether the contract signed on October 21 is the outcome of that tender, and the figures differ. Still, the timeline fits a fast-tracked buy moving from RFP to contract within a few months, which is unusually quick by Indian procurement standards.
Why low-level radar matters now
Drones have changed what the Army needs from air defence. Cheap loitering munitions and small surveillance drones can be launched in large numbers and fly below conventional radar cover. A gun or missile system cannot engage a target it never sees, so sensors are the binding constraint in counter-drone warfare.
Reporting on the deal links it to the Army's Akashteer network. Akashteer ties radars, communication links and command posts into a single, automated air-defence picture, so a target picked up by one sensor can be handed to the nearest weapon. The Tribune has previously reported that Akashteer gained prominence during Operation Sindoor for helping neutralise drones and missiles. More low-level radars feeding that network would extend its coverage of the lowest, hardest-to-see layer of airspace.
Light weight matters for the same reason. A portable radar can move with formations, be lifted to mountain posts, or be placed to fill gaps in coverage along borders. Large fixed radars cannot be redeployed as quickly when the threat shifts.
BEL's growing radar franchise
The LLLR-I adds to a run of radar orders for the Bengaluru-headquartered defence PSU:
- In March 2025, the ministry signed a ₹2,906 crore contract with BEL for the Ashwini Low Level Transportable Radar (LLTR) for the Indian Air Force. Ashwini was designed by DRDO's Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) and is an active electronically scanned phased-array radar built on solid-state technology.
- BEL has also won a ₹1,640 crore Army contract for Atulya air-defence fire-control radars.
- In August 2026, Data Patterns disclosed a ₹585.76 crore order from BEL for radar electronics. Part of the value of large BEL radar contracts flows to Indian private suppliers.
That last point supports the ministry's MSME claim. Indian radar manufacturing has moved from licence production towards local design. DRDO labs such as LRDE do the core design work, BEL integrates and produces the systems, and a growing tier of private electronics firms supplies subsystems.
What to watch
Three questions remain open:
- Numbers and timelines. Without a unit count or delivery schedule, it is hard to judge how much of the Army's low-level coverage gap this contract closes.
- Integration. The radars add the most value if they are tightly networked with Akashteer and with the guns, missiles and jammers that act on their tracks. Neither the ministry nor BEL has detailed the integration plan publicly.
- Performance in the field. Claims about detecting micro-drones depend heavily on terrain, clutter and weather. Operational trials, especially in the mountains, will show how well the LLLR-I performs.
Why it matters for India
The deal reflects how India is adapting its forces to drone warfare at relatively low cost. Spending ₹770 crore on sensors that detect small, cheap threats can make far more expensive weapons more effective. Placing the order with an Indian firm and its domestic supply chain also keeps the know-how to upgrade these radars in the country, which matters as drone technology changes month by month.
Sources
- The Tribune — https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/defence/defence-ministry-signs-rs-770-cr-deal-with-bel-for-advanced-low-level-radars-to-counter-drone-threat/
- The Week — https://www.theweek.in/news/defence/2026/10/21/indian-armys-new-lllr-i-radars-can-detect-tiny-drones-to-fighter-jets-a-major-upgrade-in-air-defence.html
- ETV Bharat — https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/mod-inks-rs-770-cr-contract-to-procure-improved-low-level-lightweight-radars-for-army-enn26102105962
- Bharatshakti (contract) — https://bharatshakti.in/mod-signs-rs-770-crore-contract-with-bel-for-improved-lightweight-radars-for-army/
- Bharatshakti (RFP, August 2026) — https://bharatshakti.in/defence-ministry-fast-tracks-rs-725-crore-radar-buy-to-plug-army-surveillance-gaps/
- PIB via GlobalSecurity (Ashwini LLTR contract, March 2025) — https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/india/2025/india-250312-india-pib04.htm
- Business Standard (Data Patterns' BEL order) — https://www.business-standard.com/amp/markets/capital-market-news/data-patterns-rises-after-securing-supply-contract-worth-rs-585-crore-from-bel-126082100189_1.html