In February 2025, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed two contracts worth approximately Rs. 1,917.47 crore for the procurement of Software Defined Radios (SDR) and Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks (RTFLTs) to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Army (IA), Indian Navy (IN), and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Details of Contract :
i.The first contract, valued at Rs. 1,220.12 crore, involves the procurement of 149 SDRs from Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the ICG .
- SDRs were procured under the’Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured,IDDM)’ category of the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP).
ii.The second contract worth Rs. 697.35 crore involves the procurement of 1,868 RTFLTs from Faridabad (Haryana) based Action Construction Equipment (ACE) Limited and Ballabgarh (Haryana) based JCB India Limited, a subsidiary of Joseph Cyril Bamford Excavators Limited in England, the United Kingdom (UK).
- The RTFLTs will be produced in Buy (Indian) category which will give a boost to the indigenisation effort and Make in India initiative in defence.
Software Defined Radios (SDRs):
i.SDRs are advanced radios that will replace the current single-purpose radios, providing multi-band, multi-mode, and multi-role communication capabilities.
ii.These state-of-the-art radios enable secure and reliable information sharing, situational awareness and network centric operations through high-speed data and secure voice communication capability.
iii.The SDRs are indigenously designed and manufactured, bolstering India’s manufacturing capabilities for advanced military-grade communication systems.
iv.This initiative aligns with the government’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) campaign and is expected to generate employment opportunities and foster expertise development.
Rough Terrain Forklift Trucks (RTFLTs):
i.RTFLT is a critical pieces of equipment, that will assist the efficient handling of heavy loads in challenging terrains to enhance the operational effectiveness of the IA, the IAF, and the IN.
- It will improve supply chain operations, enabling faster and more efficient movement of materials and equipment within the armed forces.
ii.The procurement is part of India’s strategy to modernize its defence infrastructure and enhance logistics readiness for diverse operational challenges.
Recent Related News:
In January 2025, Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Ministry of Defence (MoD) flagged off ‘SANJAY’, the Battlefield Surveillance System (BSS) from South Block, New Delhi, Delhi.
- It has been indigenously and jointly developed by the Indian Army (IA) and Bengaluru(Karnataka) based Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) , establishing a favourable environment for the realization of “Aatmanirbharta” as a sequel to the IA’s “Year of Technology Absorption.”
About Ministry of Defence (MoD):
Union Minister– Rajnath Singh (Constituency- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, UP)
Minister of State (MoS)– Sanjay Seth (Constituency- Ranchi, Jharkhand)
