New Delhi: India‘s navy today signed a contract with state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the first locally-made anti-drone system, with both hard kill and soft kill capabilities to tackle fast-emerging aerial threats.

Naval Anti-Drone System (NADS), developed by the state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by BEL, is the first indigenously developed comprehensive anti-drone system to be inducted into the Indian armed forces.

The Indian Navy has provided consistent support and has played a lead role in the joint development of the anti-drone system by DRDO and BEL,” an official statement from BEL said. Both the static and mobile versions of NADS will be supplied to the Indian Navy within a short span of time from today, BEL said.

BEL’s multiple units based in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Machilipatanam, and DRDO laboratories such as Bengaluru-based Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE); Hyderabad-based Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) and Centre for High Energy Systems and Sciences (CHESS); and Dehradun-based Instruments Research and Development Establishment (IRDE), in close collaboration with Indian Navy, were involved in the making of this fully indegenious system, as part of the ‘Atmanirbar Bharat‘ initiative to counter drone threats of adversaries.

“The NADS can instantly detect and jam micro drones and uses a laser-based kill mechanism to terminate targets. The NADS will be an effective all- encompassing counter to the increased drone threat to strategic naval installations,” a Ministry of Defence statement said.

The NADS was first deployed to provide security cover for the Republic Day Parade on Jan. 26 this year and later during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Independence Day speech at Red Fort on Aug. 15. The system, which offers 360-degree coverage, was also deployed in Ahmedabad for the Modi-Trump roadshow in 2020.

The Naval Anti Drone System 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.

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