<p>State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) will develop an advanced aerostat and communication system to meet the surveillance and reconnaissance needs of the Indian armed forces, an official said Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Floated as a set of balloons in the shape of an inflated aircraft, the helium-filled aerostats are used for providing radar platform to ground forces. When tethered into a strategic position at a pre-determined height above ground, they double as communication relay systems for the forces.<br /><br />The Bangalore-based defence behemoth has recently entered into a technology partnership with the US-based electronics major TCOM for jointly designing and developing the aerostat systems.<br /><br />"The partnership with TCOM will augment the surveillance capabilities of our defence services, security services and law-enforcement agencies with costs-effective aerostat surveillance and communication systems," BEL director S.K. Sharma said in a statement here.<br /><br />As a world leader in lighter-than-air technologies, TCOM designs and manufactures a range of aerostat systems for multiple applications, with laminate fabric material for long endurance and surveillance operations.<br /><br />The agreement makes BEL the prime bidder to address the aerostat-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements of the Indian armed services and security agencies.<br /><br />"The partnership reinforces our commitment to the Indian defence industry and allows us to provide cost-effective ISR solutions to the Indian military," TCOM chairman and managing director John Saverino said in the statement.<br /></p>
<p>State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) will develop an advanced aerostat and communication system to meet the surveillance and reconnaissance needs of the Indian armed forces, an official said Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Floated as a set of balloons in the shape of an inflated aircraft, the helium-filled aerostats are used for providing radar platform to ground forces. When tethered into a strategic position at a pre-determined height above ground, they double as communication relay systems for the forces.<br /><br />The Bangalore-based defence behemoth has recently entered into a technology partnership with the US-based electronics major TCOM for jointly designing and developing the aerostat systems.<br /><br />"The partnership with TCOM will augment the surveillance capabilities of our defence services, security services and law-enforcement agencies with costs-effective aerostat surveillance and communication systems," BEL director S.K. Sharma said in a statement here.<br /><br />As a world leader in lighter-than-air technologies, TCOM designs and manufactures a range of aerostat systems for multiple applications, with laminate fabric material for long endurance and surveillance operations.<br /><br />The agreement makes BEL the prime bidder to address the aerostat-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance requirements of the Indian armed services and security agencies.<br /><br />"The partnership reinforces our commitment to the Indian defence industry and allows us to provide cost-effective ISR solutions to the Indian military," TCOM chairman and managing director John Saverino said in the statement.<br /></p>