The Diplomat:
Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) announced on September 5 that is has been awarded a $1.28 billion contract from Indian shipyards Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilder Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) to deliver seven Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missile systems (LRSAM), also referred to as Barak LR, for service in the Indian Navy.
“The company has entered into contracts worth about Rs 9,200 crore with Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) to supply LRSAM systems,” BEL said in a September 5 statement. “This is the highest-ever single value order bagged by BEL.” The LRSAM systems will be installed aboard seven surface warfare ships of the Indian Navy.
Ships to be fitted with the LRSAM include Visakhapatnam-class guided missile destroyers, Kolkata-class destroyers, Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvettes, and the future Project 17A class of stealth frigates. The missile defense system will also be installed aboard the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft carrier. Four Indian Navy ships have already been fitted with the LRSAM systems to date.
