MoD Signs Rs 770 Crore Contract with BEL for Improved Low-Level Light-Weight Radars for the Army
The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth about Rs 770 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in New Delhi on 21 October 2026 for the Improved Low-Level Light-Weight Radar (LLLR-I) for the Indian Army. The radar is an upgraded version of DRDO's Aslesha system, designed by the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) and manufactured by BEL. It uses four fixed GaN-based AESA panels to give 360-degree coverage without a rotating antenna, and is meant to detect low-flying aircraft, drones and cruise missiles in mountainous and desert terrain. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh attended the signing.
Bharat Electronics Limited was founded in 1954, is headquartered in Bengaluru and is a Navratna defence PSU under the Ministry of Defence | LRDE, the Electronics and Radar Development Establishment, is DRDO's radar laboratory based in Bengaluru | Other DRDO-LRDE radars in service include Rohini, Revathi, Ashwini and the Swathi weapon locating radar