Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd may be developing 50-60 military products that are vital for the Armed Forces in the next three years, according to an R&D action plan that got rolling this month.

The exercise is aimed at creating new devices and systems that will add teeth to the Armed Forces and also set the company somewhat at par technologically with global majors in about five years, according to its Director R&D, Mr I.V.Sarma.

To start with, the company has increased its R&D outlay for the current year to Rs 400 crore or 7 per cent of its latest Rs 5,500-crore turnover — up from around six per cent last year. This would further go up to Rs 500 crore for 2012-13. Some 200 of the 300-plus yearly recruits would be working on R&D projects of the company.

Under the plan, each of BEL's nine units across the country would get its own infrastructure and dedicated staff, starting with Hyderabad last year and Chennai this year. Each unit had its goal of products and research to be pursued. “There has always been research at each business unit but we are going about it with greater focus now and strengthening our R&D,” he said on the sidelines of the company's annual news meet on Tuesday.

Currently about BEL did 55 per cent of its R&D work in-house and around 20 per cent with partners like DRDO's defence labs, the Indian Institute of Science, C-DoT and C-DAC. It wanted to gradually increase in-house efforts and reduce dependence of technology import. Technology transfers normally did not bestow design knowledge or software insights and with concerted efforts, he said.

One such unique product, the software-defined radio, would begin trials this year with user agencies.

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