Bengaluru: Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO, Ahmedabad, have signed an MoU to collaborate, indigenise and develop infrastructure for the productionisation of space-grade Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) in India. Signed at SAC Ahmedabad, the MoU will give a boost to the indigenisation of defence and space production and save foreign exchange for the country.
TWTA is a complex multi-disciplinary technology involving controlled interaction of microwave with electron beam under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. State-of-the-art fabrication and manufacturing facility for TWTAs has been established at BEL.
TWTAs developed by SAC, ISRO, and manufactured by BEL will be used in satellite communication and navigation payloads, microwave remote sensing radar payloads, scientific missions or probes and inter-spacecraft communications links. These items are integral parts of various communication and microwave remote sensing payloads.
Nilesh M Desai, Director of SAC, Ahmedabad, and Niti Pandit, General Manager (Strategic Planning)/BEL-Corporate Office, signed the MoU in the presence of senior officials from both the organisations.
SAC is a lead R&D centre of ISRO carrying out diverse design and development activities in the field of space-borne payloads for communication satellites, optical and microwave remote sensing satellites, navigation satellites, scientific & planetary satellite payloads and associated ground applications for various ISRO missions aimed at national development.
SAC is also involved in the design and realisation of ground segment and user segment hardware, mathematical models/algorithms/techniques and software for various applications covering diverse areas of communication, navigation, land resources, meteorology, oceanography, environment monitoring and disaster management as well as space sciences.
BEL, a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Defence, Government of India, enjoys the leadership position in the Defence / Strategic Electronics market in India. BEL has the expertise in design, development, engineering, manufacture of radar & weapon systems, network centric and communications systems, electronic warfare & avionics, naval systems, electro-optics and laser based products, tank electronics and gun systems, space electronics and satcom systems, strategic components and civilian products.
BEL has been continuously striving to expand its solution offerings to the Non-Defence domain. Some of the recent notable new business initiatives of BEL include homeland security, smart / safe cities, cyber security, software, rail & metro solutions, civil aviation, space electronics, medical electronics, jammers, anti-drone systems, unmanned systems, e-vehicles, etc. BEL is also a CMMi Level 5, ISO 27001-2013 (ISMS) certified and CERT-In empanelled agency.
