Bengaluru/ New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 10 inaugurated through Video Conference the upgraded, state-of-the-art Maareech Integration Facility.

Gowtama M V, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), on the occasion gave a presentation to the Defence Minister on Advanced Torpedo Decoy System (ATDS) Maareech. This initiative by BEL is in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, a self-reliant nation.

ATDS Maareech is a fully indigenous system involving sensors and decoys developed jointly by DRDO labs, Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) and Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), and productionised by BEL. Two production grade systems manufactured by BEL have been installed and trial evaluated on-board INS Gomati and INS Ganga. The Indian Navy has awarded BEL a contract for Maareech systems.

Prior to the induction of ATDS Maareech, the Indian Navy had imported the system for 12 platforms. But now with the indigenous development of this system, BEL has upgraded its existing facilities with capacity to manufacture and deliver 12 ATDS Maareech systems every year. This facility enables BEL to provide a reliable defence mechanism for Surface Ships of the Indian Navy against possible torpedo attacks.

The upgraded ATDS facilities include Test Bays for electronic cabinets, Expendable Decoy Manufacturing and Towed Array Integration & Testing Facility (Ramp Structure, Oil Filling Facility, Load Test Facility and Neutral Buoyancy Tank Facility).

BEL has constructed a new building for ATDS manufacturing at a cost of around Rs 12 crores. The indigenously developed Maareech System is a big step towards ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, as it saves the country around US$ four million in foreign exchange per system.