Bharat Dynamics Limited has signed a contract worth ₹499 crore with the Ministry of Defence to manufacture and supply Akash missiles to the Indian Air Force.
The company has bagged new orders worth about ₹2,803 crore during FY21. With the present contract of Akash to Indian Air Force, BDL’s order book position now stands at ₹8,683 crore.
Commodore Siddharth Mishra (Retd), CMD, BDL, in a statement said after the agreement in Delhi, “BDL is supplying Akash missiles to Indian Army and Indian Air Force. With the announcement from the Union Cabinet regarding clearance of Akash Weapon System for export, the company is exploring to offer Akash for export to foreign countries.”
“BDL has already received export leads from some countries expressing interest in procuring the missile. The company has a well-established infrastructure and expertise to execute these orders and meet the customer delivery schedule,” he said.
BDL is the prime production agency for projects under India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). Akash is one of the missiles under IGMDP being manufactured by BDL, both for Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
The missile has been successfully test fired on several occasions and is regarded as one of the best missiles in its category.
The company also manufactures anti-tank guided missiles, air-to-air missiles, air-to-surface weapons, launchers, test equipment, underwater weapons and counter measure systems.
The company also aims to expand its footprints in the international market by offering air-to-air missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, underwater weapons and counter measure systems in addition to Akash missiles to friendly countries.