BDL inks contract with Ministry of Defence for supply of Akash Missiles

New Delhi: Hyderabad based Miniratna Defence PSU, Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on Thursday signed a contract worth about Rs 499 crore with the Ministry of Defence for the manufacture and supply of 'Akash Missiles' to the Indian Air Force. The contract has been signed by Air Commodore Ajay Singhal on behalf of the Indian Air Force and BDL's Executive Director (Marketing) Commodore TN Kaul (Retd) on behalf of BDL in the presence of BDL's Director (Production) P Radhakrishna at New Delhi, mention an official statement released by BDL.

"BDL is supplying Akash Missiles to the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. With the announcement from the Union Cabinet regarding clearance of the 'Akash' weapon system for export, the company is exploring offering Akash for export to foreign countries" said BDL's Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd). "BDL has already received export leads from some countries expressing interest in procuring the missile. The company has a well-established infrastructure and expertise to execute these orders and meet the customer delivery schedule" he added.

Akash is a medium-range mobile surface-to-air missile system developed by the DRDO. BDL is the prime production agency for projects under India's Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Akash is one of the missiles under IGMDP being manufactured by BDL, both for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. The Missile has been successfully test-fired on several occasions and is regarded as one of the best missiles in its category.

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BDL also manufactures Anti-Tank Guided Missiles, Air to Air Missiles, Air to Surface Weapons, Launchers, Test Equipment, Underwater weapons and Counter Measure Systems.

The company has bagged new orders worth about Rs 2,803 crore (including taxes) during the FY 2020-21 which includes Anti – Tank Guided Missiles order worth about Rs 1,820 crore and Surface to Air Missiles order worth about Rs 793 crore. 

With the present contract signed for the supply of Akash to the Indian Air Force, the order book position now stands at about Rs 8,683 crore.

The company is also aiming to expand its footprints in the international market by offering Air-to-Air Missiles, Anti-Tank Guided missiles, underwater weapons and Counter Measure Systems in addition to Akash Missiles to friendly countries.

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