BEL R&D to make Hyderabad debut

Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), the Bangalore-based defence public sector company,, is planning its third central research laboratory, at Hyderabad, which will focus on emerging technologies in the fields of opto-electronics and electronic warfare.

Presently, BEL has over 200 scientists working at two of its central research laboratories. The third lab, proposed to be set up at Hyderabad, will require another 50-75 scientists, official sources said.

The company, which presently has two central research labs at Bangalore and Ghaziabad, spent around Rs 209 crore, about 5.1 per cent of the annual turnover, on R&D during the last financial year.

According to V V R Sastry, CMD, BEL, the company will continue to focus on R&D and aims to invest 8-10 per cent of its turnover on R&D during the present year.

 

During 2007-08, 83 per cent of BEL’s turnover came from indigenously developed products.

About 59 per cent of the turnover was generated from products based on BEL design, 24 per cent of the turnover came from products based on Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO’s) technologies and 17 per cent came from products based on overseas technologies.

Sastry said the company will continue to focus on defence products and aggres-sively pursue new orders for products and systems in its core segments like radars, communications, sonars, electronic warfare, electro-optics, tank electronics, simulators among others.

“Apart from concentrating on the normal growth, special efforts are being made for an intensive and integrative growth in the current operating business areas,” Sastry said in a statement to Bombay Stock Exchange.

BEL has tied up with various Indian and foreign partners for airborne products like radio, radars, electronic warfare suits, missile electronics, satcom monitoring systems and turnkey solutions.