Defence Ministry Inks Rs 770 Crore Deal for LLLR-I Radars

The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the supply of the Improved Low Level Light Weight Radar, written in short as LLLR(I), to the Indian Army. The deal is worth roughly Rs 770 crore and was signed in New Delhi on 21 October 2026 in the presence of the Defence Secretary, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh.

What the radar can do

The LLLR(I) is built to spot and follow targets of the size of a fighter aircraft as well as mini and micro drones. Beyond detection, it can sort the aerial targets it sees in order of importance, so that the air defence crew knows which threat to engage first. Taken together, these abilities let the Army answer the growing danger posed by the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), the class of small, cheap and hard-to-see flying machines that modern armies now face along their frontiers.

Why low-level radars matter

A low level light weight radar watches the airspace close to the ground, where fast jets flying under cover of terrain and small drones launched from short distances are hardest to catch. Because such a radar is light, it can be moved with the force it protects rather than being fixed at one site, which suits a long and varied frontier. The word improved in the name signals that this version upgrades the earlier equipment of the same family.

Push for indigenisation

The purchase has been placed with a public sector defence electronics firm, and the ministry has described it as a notable step towards making air defence platforms within the country. The order is expected to strengthen India's defence manufacturing ecosystem, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that supply parts and sub-systems to the prime manufacturer, and to help build a resilient, self-reliant and globally competitive defence industry.

Link with Viksit Bharat

The ministry has tied the procurement to the government's vision of Viksit Bharat @2047, the goal of a developed India by the hundredth year of independence. In defence, that vision is read as the ability to design, build and support critical equipment at home instead of importing it.