From Bengaluru to Global Defence Markets: BEL Secures DIRCM Sub-Assembly Export Order.
BEL-Elbit Systems deal signing ceremony.
BEL-Elbit Systems’ DIRCM Supply Chain Agreement: India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has taken another step towards expanding its presence in global defence supply chains after signing an export purchase-order agreement with Israel-based Elbit Systems Electro-Optics ELOP Ltd for the production and supply of sub-assemblies used in Directed Infrared Countermeasure (DIRCM) systems.
The agreement was signed in Bengaluru on 16 September by Rajnish Sharma, Director of BEL’s Bengaluru Complex, and Shai Cohen, Senior Vice President at Elbit Systems.
Senior officials from both companies were present at the signing, including BEL Director of Marketing Anoop Kumar Rai and Bnaya Ziv, Elbit’s Head of DIRCM Systems.
The financial value of the order has not been disclosed, nor have the identities of the aircraft operators that will eventually use systems incorporating the Indian-made components.
Even so, the agreement is significant because it places BEL further inside an international aerospace and defence manufacturing network, rather than limiting the Indian company’s role to supplying equipment to domestic armed forces.
What is DIRCM and why does it matter?
DIRCM is designed to protect aircraft from infrared-guided missiles, particularly shoulder-fired man-portable air-defence systems, commonly known as MANPADS.
These weapons are relatively portable and can be operated from the ground, making them a potential threat to aircraft flying at lower altitudes.
The danger is particularly relevant during vulnerable phases of flight such as take-off and landing. Military transport aircraft, helicopters and other aircraft operating close to the ground can face the risk of infrared-guided missiles that lock on to the heat generated by their engines.
DIRCM systems are designed to counter that threat electronically and optically.
A typical system combines missile-warning sensors, thermal imaging technology and a directional infrared laser or jammer. When the system detects an incoming missile, it attempts to identify the missile’s infrared seeker and directs a modulated infrared beam towards it.
The objective is to interfere with the seeker’s ability to maintain a reliable track on the aircraft. If successful, the missile can lose its target and fail to reach the aircraft.
How is DIRCM different from traditional flares?
Aircraft have long used defensive flares against infrared-guided missiles.
Flares work by releasing a source of heat intended to attract or confuse an incoming missile’s infrared seeker. DIRCM takes a different approach.
Instead of relying primarily on a separate heat source, it actively detects the missile and directs energy towards its seeker.
This makes DIRCM part of a broader trend towards increasingly integrated electronic-warfare and aircraft-survivability systems.
A modern defensive suite can combine missile-warning sensors, infrared countermeasures, radar-based warning systems and other electronic-warfare technologies.
The ability to detect a threat and respond rapidly is particularly important when aircraft are operating in environments where portable air-defence weapons may be present.
What technology does Elbit use?
Elbit Systems has developed a family of DIRCM systems intended for different aircraft and operational requirements.
The company’s technology incorporates fibre-laser systems, high-frame-rate thermal cameras and a rapidly moving mirror turret. Together, these components allow the system to detect, track and direct countermeasure energy towards an incoming missile’s seeker.
Elbit also describes its DIRCM architecture as being designed for integration with different aircraft types.
Its portfolio includes systems such as J-MUSIC, MUSIC, Mini-MUSIC and C-MUSIC.
The company’s DIRCM technology has been associated with several international applications, including Israeli commercial aircraft, Italian Air Force transport and helicopter fleets and Brazil’s KC-390 aircraft.
In December 2024, Elbit also announced contracts worth $175 million for electronic-warfare and DIRCM self-protection suites for a NATO European country.
These international programmes illustrate the wider market for aircraft protection systems as militaries seek to improve the survivability of aircraft operating in increasingly contested environments.
What exactly will BEL manufacture?
An important point about the new agreement is that BEL is not being contracted to manufacture and sell complete DIRCM systems.
Its role is focused on producing specialised sub-assemblies that will subsequently form part of Elbit’s finished systems and international integration programmes.
That distinction matters when assessing the significance of the agreement.
BEL is becoming part of the manufacturing chain behind an advanced aircraft-protection technology rather than independently marketing a complete DIRCM product to aircraft operators.
For Indian industry, however, participation at this level can still be strategically important.
Producing specialised components for an established international defence company requires manufacturers to meet defined technical, quality and production standards. Such experience can help companies develop capabilities that can subsequently be applied to other aerospace and defence programmes.
Representational image.
A partnership that goes beyond the latest order
The new agreement builds on an existing relationship between BEL and Elbit Systems.
The two companies have previously worked together on electro-optical and infrared payloads, helmet-mounted display systems and other defence electronics.
BEL has also held global supply-chain partner status with Elbit’s electro-optics division. Earlier, the Indian company received an export order worth approximately $33 million for electro-optical infrared payloads.
The latest agreement therefore represents an extension of an established industrial relationship rather than an entirely new partnership.
For Elbit, cooperation with BEL provides access to an experienced Indian electronics manufacturer and an additional production capability for components associated with its international programmes.
For BEL, it provides another opportunity to participate in the global market for advanced defence technologies.
How does the deal fit India’s defence export ambitions?
India has been seeking to expand its defence exports as part of its broader Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India programmes.
BEL, a Navratna public-sector undertaking, is already a major supplier of defence electronics to India’s armed forces. Its product portfolio includes radars, communications equipment, electronic-warfare systems, missile electronics and other strategic technologies.
The latest agreement illustrates another route for India’s defence industry to expand internationally.
Instead of attempting to export only complete platforms, Indian companies can become specialised suppliers to established international manufacturers.
That model can create export opportunities while allowing domestic companies to gain experience in international production and supply-chain requirements.
It also potentially gives Indian manufacturers access to markets that would be difficult to reach independently.
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What does the agreement mean for BEL?
The immediate contract does not make BEL an independent manufacturer or supplier of complete DIRCM systems.
Its significance lies instead in the company’s position within an important global aircraft-survivability supply chain.
As the use of portable infrared-guided missiles and other relatively low-cost threats continues to influence military planning, demand for aircraft protection technologies is likely to remain an important area of defence development.
For BEL, supplying sub-assemblies for Elbit’s DIRCM systems provides another example of India’s defence manufacturing sector moving beyond domestic procurement and towards participation in international programmes.
The agreement also demonstrates how long-term industrial partnerships can support this transition.
For India, the broader objective is not simply to export more defence equipment, but to develop manufacturing capabilities that can compete within global aerospace and defence supply chains.
The BEL-Elbit agreement is a relatively focused step in that direction, placing an Indian manufacturer inside the production ecosystem of a sophisticated aircraft-protection technology while building on an existing industrial relationship between the two companies.
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