New Delhi: The Union Defence Rajnath Singh visited Navratna defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) at its Bengaluru complex on Sunday, where he inaugurated multiple strategic facilities and reviewed indigenous defence technology initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s self-reliance in critical defence systems.
During the visit, the Raksha Mantri remotely inaugurated BEL’s Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence (CoE-AI) located in Pune and formally launched the company’s Artificial Intelligence Policy, underscoring the growing role of AI-driven solutions in the country’s defence ecosystem.
At the Bengaluru complex, he launched BEL’s Mountain Fire Control Radar, inaugurated the Missile Integration Facility, and flagged off the Akash 3rd and 4th Regiment Combat Systems. The minister was also briefed on advanced indigenous technologies, including AI-based defence solutions developed in collaboration with Indian startups, reflecting the government’s push for innovation-led indigenisation.
The Raksha Mantri held interactions with industry partners such as BEML, Bharat Dynamics Limited, and Larsen & Toubro, along with MSMEs and startups engaged in missile system manufacturing in collaboration with BEL. Engagements were also held with academic partners including IIT Madras and Indian Institute of Science to promote advanced indigenous technology development.
During the briefing, BEL showcased indigenisation initiatives undertaken by its Central Research Laboratories and Centres of Excellence in Electronics Warfare, Photonics, Communication, Radar and Weapon Systems, as well as its Product Development and Innovation Centre. Startups and industry partners also displayed their products, highlighting collaborative efforts to strengthen domestic defence manufacturing capabilities.
The minister was apprised of BEL’s ongoing research and development activities aligned with major national defence programmes such as the Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile System (QRSAM), Light Combat Aircraft Mark-II, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, Project Kusha, counter-drone systems, and naval weapon control systems.
A major focus of the briefing was BEL’s role in developing strategic semiconductor technologies, including secure System-on-Chips, Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits, and Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, in line with the objectives of the India Semiconductor Mission and the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in critical technology domains.
According to the company, these indigenous research and development efforts are contributing to enhanced operational preparedness across land, air, naval, and strategic domains while reducing dependence on foreign technologies.
Addressing BEL’s R&D community, the Raksha Mantri encouraged deeper collaboration between startups, industry and academia to enable agile product development through AI and autonomous systems. He also emphasised the need for cross-disciplinary innovation and rapid prototyping to create world-class defence products aligned with the national vision of a Viksit Bharat.
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