In a major capability upgrade for the Indian Army's ability to detect, classify and locate all types of enemy radars and enhance situational awareness, the defence ministry signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Hyderabad, for the procurement of five Ground-Based Mobile Electronic Systems (GBMES), worth ₹1,476 crore.
GBMES is a totally indigenous, state-of-the-art system designed and developed by Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL), Hyderabad and manufactured by BEL.
The system, which will have a minimum of 72 per cent indigenous content, will modernise the Indian Army units and strengthen the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem of the country, the defence ministry said in a statement.
The contract was signed under the Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category.
In an NSE filing, the company said the networked intelligence system is capable of detecting, classifying and locating all types of radars. The system also intercepts and analyses all communication signals.
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"The GBMES system enhances the situational awareness and Air Defence capabilities of the country," the company stated.
GBMES, configured as an integrated ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) and ESM (Electronic Support Measures) platform, is designed to detect and decode the invisible electronic battlefield around it. In other words, the system scans the electromagnetic spectrum, searching for radar emissions from enemy aircraft, air defence systems, missile batteries, surveillance radars, or other battlefield sensors.
Using advanced digital receivers and direction-finding technology, the system can search, intercept, measure, monitor, analyse, identify and accurately locate radar emitters across the required frequency bands.
The GBMES works through a networked architecture consisting of three Receiving Stations (RS) and one Control Station (CS).
One receiving station also acts as a backup control station, ensuring mission continuity.
A repeater radio link extends the operational range between stations, allowing wider area coverage and better survivability in combat conditions.
Among its key features is its ability to provide early warning against both pulsed and continuous wave radar signals. Other features include high sensitivity and direction-finding accuracy, allowing precise emitter location, the ability to gather tactical information, with a high probability of Intercept, accurate identification and tracking of targets. It also includes tools to record and process signature data, and a built-in radar fingerprinting system.
For the Indian Army, a system like GBMES could be a major battlefield force multiplier at a time when conflicts are increasingly decided by information dominance. The platform would significantly enhance the Army’s ability to detect enemy radar activity, track aerial and ground threats, support targeting, and operate with far greater situational awareness.