India signs 770 crore rupee deal with BEL for low-level radars that track mini drones

TLDR

• India's Defence Ministry signed a 770 crore rupee contract with Bharat Electronics for LLLR-I radars on 21 October.¹
• The Press Information Bureau says the radar detects and tracks fighter-size targets and mini and micro drones.¹
• The New Indian Express adds technical details from its own reporting, not from the ministry.³

India's Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth about 770 crore rupees with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) on 21 October in New Delhi for the Improved Low Level Light Weight Radar (LLLR-I), in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, according to the Press Information Bureau (PIB).¹ PIB says the radar detects and tracks fighter-size aerial targets as well as mini and micro drones, and can prioritise aerial targets.¹ The Hindu also reports the signing.²

The New Indian Express describes the radar as an upgrade of the Aslesha, an S-band 3D radar from DRDO's Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE).³ In its account, the new version uses four fixed gallium nitride AESA panels with 360-degree coverage and no moving parts, and is man-portable.³ It also reports that the Army wanted a radar cross-section detection figure of 0.001 square metres and places the deal in the context of Operation Sindoor.³ These technical details come from the New Indian Express, not from the ministry's release.³

Why it matters: the contract commits the Army to a fixed-panel, low-altitude radar aimed at small drones, and the ministry's own wording lists mini and micro drones alongside fighter-size targets; delivery timelines and the number of radars are the details to watch, as the ministry release as read does not give them and the technical specification rests on one outlet.