India’s Centum Electronics Ltd. and Israel’s Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 29 to jointly develop an electronic warfare (EW) system for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. At present, the Indian Navy is using ‘Shakti’, an advanced indigenous system designed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The MoU was signed between Mr. Nikhil Mallavarapu, Executive Director of Centum Electronics Ltd. and Mr. Oded Fisher, Naval Warfare System of Rafael Advanced Systems Ltd. It was signed in the presence of Centum’s president Mr.Vinod Chippalkatti, their Director of Business Development Mr. Subhash Ahlawat and Mr. Shardul Rauthela, the Naval Systems Director for Rafael.
Commenting on the deal, Mallavarapu said, “Through this partnership, we look forward to augmenting our indigenous Electronic Warfare offerings with a range of high performance, mission critical products in the domain. This MoU encompasses knowledge sharing and manufacturing in India, and will help us in our endeavour to build a self-reliant India.”
As per the MoU, the aim is to operate the EW platform in the lower frequency bands. Additionally, life cycle support of the existing EW systems is also included within the scope of this deal. Now, it remains to be seen whether the Centum-Rafael EW system will eventually replace the indigenously developed 'Shakti' that was formally handed over to the Indian Navy just last year.
