BEL IAI Aerosystems begins operations to provide post-warranty product support to the Indian armed forces
BEL IAI Aerosystems, a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Limited and Israel Aerospace Industries, announced commencement of operations at Aero India 2025. Both companies had earlier established a JV to pave the way for a robust strategic partnership envisaged to provide a single point of contact for extending long-term product support services for India’s defence forces.
Dignitaries and senior officials from India and Israel attended the JV launch held at the BEL stall in Aero India. Among them were CMD, BEL Manoj Jain, President & CEO of IAI Boaz Levy, director (Bangalore Complex), BEL, & chairman of the JV Rajnish Sharma; and VP & general manager Air & Missile Defence Systems at IAI, Oded Jacobowitz.
The JV is an exclusive support entity for post-warranty maintenance of India’s defence systems. This initiative leverages manufacturing capabilities and technological innovations, fostering India’s self-reliance in sync with the ‘Make in India’ vision even while delivering world-class solutions.
Beyond post-warranty maintenance, this collaboration will also lead to the transfer of advanced technological capabilities to India, enabling the development of local expertise in critical defence systems. By establishing a dedicated support infrastructure, the JV will empower India to operate, maintain, and enhance its defence systems independently. The venture’s long-term impact extends to creating job opportunities, upskilling the local workforce, and contributing to the growth of India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, reinforcing the nation’s position as a global defence player.
This partnership is built on a foundation of deep trust and reflects the enduring and profound relationship between India and Israel. By leveraging their extensive operational expertise and uniting it with the cutting-edge innovation inherent in both companies, the JV is poised to deliver transformative solutions.
Beyond addressing India’s current defence needs, this collaboration strengthens bilateral ties and positions the two nations as global leaders in tackling complex challenges with robust and forward-thinking technologies.
According to Boaz Levy, “This collaboration is a historic milestone as it marks the first-ever joint company established by leading defence firms of Israel and India. It reflects the robust and flourishing relationship between the two nations, and we are excited about the significant contributions this venture will bring to India’s defence capabilities. We extend our gratitude to the tri-services for their unwavering partnership.”
Manoj Jain added, “The launch of BEL IAI Aerosystems (the JV) ushers in a paradigm shift in providing seamless product and life cycle support for MRSAM/ LRSAM systems supplied to the tri-services. The JVC reflects the strategic partnership between India and Israel and the commitment of BEL and IAI to jointly provide state-of-the-art weapon systems and life cycle support for the Indian defence forces.”
Rajnish Sharma said, “The JV, as SPOC, shall strive for significant reduction in the Turn Around Time (TAT) and ensure high level of serviceability of these strategic systems to meet the operational needs of the tri services.”
Oded Jacobowitz added, “This joint venture is a testament to the deep partnership between IAI and BEL. By combining IAI’s cutting-edge technology with BEL’s extended expertise, we are laying the foundation for long-term success and a stronger, self-reliant defence ecosystem in India.”
The JV will operate as a beacon of excellence, equipped to deliver cutting-edge support and maintenance for India’s advanced defence systems. As a pioneering collaboration between BEL and IAI, BEL IAI Aerosystems is dedicated to empowering India’s defence infrastructure with unmatched technological solutions and efficient support services. This historic initiative reinforces the steadfast alliance between India and Israel, advancing regional security and establishing a benchmark in global defence cooperation.
Delivery to Thales
BEL also signed many joint ventures and made several announcements through the show. This included the announcement of delivery of 7,000th transmit/ receive module to Thales for Dassault Aviation’s Rafale RBE2 radar. From Thales’ perspective, this demonstrates its commitment to the make in India policy through transfers of technology and production. This transfer has been growing since it was initiated in 2017 and has expanded both in scope and quantities. Thales is an active stakeholder in the make in India policy of the Indian government. In November 2020, the first RBE2 AESA (active electronic scanning array) radar with a front end manufactured by BEL in India was delivered by Thales to Dassault Aviation. Four years later, BEL delivered 7,000th transmit/receive module.
This Thales-BEL cooperation has been expanded with the start-of-the production of advanced technological microwave modules dedicated to the Rafale SPECTRA EW (Electronic Warfare) suite.
Specifically developed for Rafale, the RBE2 is the first in-service European AESA radar and has been combat proven on Rafale aircraft operated by the French Air Force and the French Navy. It was developed in close partnership with Dassault Aviation and the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) to meet the requirements of air forces and uses innovative technologies to combine advanced fire control radar functions and target tracking capabilities. The T/R (transmit/receive) modules are key to the RBE2 radar’s active electronic scanning performance, enabling it to steer the radar beam with the speed of an electronic chip.
Building on Thales’s 50+ years of expertise with earlier generations of radars for combat aircraft, the RBE2 gives the Rafale a number of key advantages. Compared to radars with conventional antennas, the RBE2 delivers an unprecedented level of tactical situational awareness, faster detection and tracking of multiple targets, and can also implement several radar modes instantaneously.
Commenting on the delivery, president & CEO, Thales International, Pascale Sourisse, said, “Thales and Bharat Electronics Limited are long-standing partners with several technological collaborations to their credit. The manufacturing of T/R modules by BEL for Thales’s RBE2 radar is a key reference, and the recent delivery of the 7,000th T/R module a remarkable milestone. This achievement not only reflects our collective commitment to ‘Make in India’ but also highlights the successful transfer of technology and production, with BEL meeting the highest international standards of industrial excellence. We will continue to develop cutting-edge technologies and strengthen local capabilities in India to further contribute to the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision,” said.
“We are proud to have successfully delivered the 7000th T/R module for the RBE2 radar to Thales. This marks a significant step in our partnership with Thales and underscores our dedication to enhancing India’s defence capabilities. Through our close collaboration with Thales, we continue to implement world-class industrial practices and develop advanced technological expertise in line with the ‘Make in India’ initiative,” added Manoj Jain.
Other Announcements
MoU with Godrej & Boyce: BEL signed an MoU with Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Ltd, Mumbai, for cooperation in various platforms of Defence. The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and Godrej & Boyce. BEL with its extensive design and manufacturing facilities in mechanical, electronics and software domain, and Godrej & Boyce with its strong expertise in the manufacturing of critical assemblies for defence, aircraft and space applications will cooperate and work together in areas/ programmes related to weapon systems, missile systems, space & ground applications, engines for missiles and spacecraft, UAVs, decoy launchers, etc.
MoU with Mitsubishi Electric & MEMCO: BEL, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Mitsubishi Electric), Tokyo, Japan, and MEMCO Associates India Private Limited (MEMCO), Bengaluru, signed a tripartite MoU to collaborate and explore business in select domains of defence and space. The MoU envisages to exploit business opportunities with Mitsubishi Electric in contract manufacturing and supply of customised components for defence and space domains such as radars, electronic warfare systems and space situational awareness. The MoU will leverage the complementary strengths of BEL and Mitsubishi Electric, explore transfer of technology, increasing cost-effectiveness of products and various other means to develop and supply state-of-the-art products and solutions for Indian, Japanese and international markets.
MoU with EndureAir Systems: BEL and EndureAir Systems Pvt Ltd signed an MoU to cooperate and work together for the joint development, manufacture, marketing and sales of vertical take-off and landing unmanned aerial systems. The MoU aims at leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of BEL and EndureAir Systems for the joint development of medium and high altitude logistic (Cargo), micro, nano and tethered drones for surveillance and military applications.
MoU with CoreEL Technologies Pvt Ltd: BELand CoreEL Technologies Pvt Ltd signed an MoU for the joint development and indigenisation of subsystems in the areas of electronic warfare, sonars, radars and missile electronics. The objective of the agreement is to cooperate and support indigenous development of subsystems required for the realisation of equipment/ systems in the field of EW, radar, sonar, etc, for defence applications.
MoU with CSIR-NAL: BEL signed an MoU with CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru to cooperate and work together in the areas of unified air space management & sensor development for loitering munition (LM) and high-altitude platform station.
MoU with Raddef Pvt Ltd: BEL and Raddef Pvt Ltd signed a MoU for the joint development, marketing, manufacturing and sales of indigenous coastal surveillance radar (CSR). The objective of the agreement is to cooperate and support indigenous development and manufacturing of subsystems required for the realisation of equipment/ systems in the field of coastal surveillance equipment for defence applications.
BEL enjoys leadership position in the defence / strategic electronics market in India. BEL is a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit conglomerate which boasts of over 600 products in the areas of radars and fire control systems, weapon systems, communication and network centric systems, among others.
Some of the areas BEL is focusing as part of its diversification efforts include solutions for civil aviation, unmanned systems, railway and metro systems, network and cyber security, smart city solutions, space electronics, arms and ammunition and seekers, medical electronics and Artificial Intelligence.
Raddef Pvt Ltd designs, develops and manufactures a wide variety of sub-systems for RF and Microwave systems and components for the applications in defence, aerospace, meteorology and communication. Applications include radar, satellite communications, radio communications, telemetry applications, missile guidance systems, mobile radio base stations and air traffic control and communications. The company has been working on the development of various types of radars which typically spans ground, air and coastal domains.