Defence Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to form a joint venture. The goal of this venture is to provide India’s defence forces with a single point of contact for long-term product support services.
Union Minister of State for Defense Ajay Bhat made the announcement at Aero India 2023, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition going on at Yelahanka Air Force Station here. A BEL statement said that Bhat made the announcement at Aero India 2023.
It said that the partnership is a big step towards strengthening the relationship between the two companies, which have worked together for a long time.
BEL, a “Navratna” company that makes a lot of electronic products and systems for the Indian military, and IAI, a top aerospace and defence company in Israel, are working together on a number of projects for the Indian military.
The new joint venture is being set up so that MRSAM (Medium Range Surface to Air Missile) air defence systems in the country will have support for their entire life cycle. It will be run out of New Delhi and give the armed forces the technical and maintenance support they need.
The statement said that MRSAM is an advanced air and missile defence system that protects against a wide range of aerial platforms. The Indian Air Force, the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Israeli Defense Forces all use it.
The system has a command and control shelter, mobile launchers and interceptors with an advanced RF seeker, and an Advanced Phased Array Radar. IAI and DRDO, along with India and Israel, are working together to make MRSAM for the Indian military.
IAI shows again that it supports the Indian government’s plan for a “Atmanirbhar Bharat” through this joint venture (self-reliant India). It also shows that the company is committed to a strong partnership with DRDO to develop and support advanced systems for the Indian armed forces, according to a statement. The cooperation between IAI and BEL will take advantage of the strengths of both companies.
In the statement, Bhat was quoted as saying, “Israel is a very important strategic partner of India, and the successful development and deployment of the MRSAM system for the Indian defence forces is a shining example of how well the two countries work together.” The minister said that the joint venture between two well-known companies in India and Israel would be very important as a single point of contact for product support services for MRSAM systems. Bhat said that it will be a key part of the “Make in India” policy.
BEL CMD Bhanu Prakash Srivastava said that IAI is a very important strategic partner for the top defence PSU. He said, “This partnership between the two companies is expected to play a key role in making sure that product support services for MRSAM systems are provided on time and that a large amount of work can be done in India with the help of the Indian supply chain.”
IAI’s President and CEO, Boaz Levy, had said earlier, “Our joint venture with BEL will use the best technology, innovation, and talent to provide services that meet the needs of our customers in India.”
“It follows our announcement in 2022 about the opening of Aerospace Services India (ASI), an IAI subsidiary in New Delhi. Both of these show our support for the Government’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiative and investment in India,” he said.
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