Indian Navy has signed a contract with Navratna Defence public sector unit (PSU) Bharat Limited (BEL) for the supply of the first indigenous comprehensive Naval Anti Drone System (NADS), with both 'hard kill' and 'soft kill' capabilities.
The contract was signed in the presence of senior Naval officers and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) representatives in New Delhi on Tuesday, August 31. The Indian Navy has provided consistent support and has led in the joint development of the anti-drone system with DRDO and BEL.
The NADS, developed by DRDO and manufactured by BEL, is the first indigenously developed anti-drone system to be inducted into the Indian Armed Forces. Multiple units of BEL in Bangaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Machilipatanam were involved in the making of this fully indigenous system.
The BEL units worked in collaboration with the Indian Navy and DRDO labs, namely Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE), Bangaluru; Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) and Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS), Hyderabad and Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) Dehradun; in the making of this system.
The NADS can instantly detect and jam micro drones and use a laser-based kill mechanism to terminate targets. It will be an effective all-encompassing counter to the increased drone threat to strategic naval installations.
The anti-drone system was first deployed to provide security cover for the Republic Day Parade this year and later during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort. The system, which offers 360-degree coverage, was also deployed in Ahmedabad for the Modi-Trump roadshow.
The NADS uses the help of radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors and radio frequency (RF) detectors to detect and jam the micro drones. The DRDO’s RF/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) detects the frequency which is being used by the controller and the signals are then jammed.
The anti-drone technology system of DRDO provides for both 'soft kill' and 'hard kill' options to the Indian Armed Forces to tackle fast-emerging aerial threats. Both the static and mobile versions of NADS will be supplied to the Indian Navy within a short time from the signing of the contract.