NEW DELHI — India’s state-run Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) plans to develop an advanced aerostat and communication system to boost military air defenses and enhance surveillance. BEL director S.K. Sharma says the Bengaluru-based defense firm will jointly work with U.S.-based aerostat and airship maker TCOM to design and develop the aerosatat system. “The partnership will augment the surveillance capabilities of our defense services, security services and law enforcement agencies,” Sharma says.
An Indian cruise missile test was terminated March 12 after the missile failed to hit the target and deviated from its course during its first launch. But Nirbhay, India’s first indigenously developed subsonic cruise missile, did successfully meet its basic mission objectives, said India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which developed the missile.
