India signs Rs 4,106 crore satellite, torpedo contracts

India’s Ministry of Defence signed Rs 4,106 crore in contracts on Oct. 15 for a GSAT-7C communications satellite and Varunastra heavyweight torpedoes, according to a ministry statement.

The awards extend domestic procurement after a Rs 661.50 crore BrahMos deal earlier this month, and split Rs 2,563 crore for the Air Force satellite and Rs 1,543 crore for Navy torpedoes.

The GSAT-7C contract was signed with New Space India Limited, Bengaluru. The ministry said the satellite is designed, developed and manufactured in India and is intended to improve secure and resilient communications for Indian Air Force assets.

The Varunastra order went to Bharat Dynamics Limited, Hyderabad. The ministry described Varunastra as an Indian ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory. "Equipped with advanced manoeuvring capabilities, it is capable of engaging enemy submarines at long ranges, thereby enhancing the anti-submarine warfare capability of the Indian Navy," the statement said.

The ministry linked both contracts to the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make-in-India defence-manufacturing agenda. Earlier in October, it signed the Rs 661.50 crore BrahMos Aerospace contract for fire-control systems and launchers for Indian Navy ships under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category.

That BrahMos project has a minimum 68% indigenous content, the ministry said. It also said the project would involve Indian industries, including micro, small and medium enterprises, and generate employment over three years.

The statement did not provide delivery schedules, quantities or operational deployment dates for the GSAT-7C satellite or Varunastra torpedoes.

Source: Ministry of Defence statement via Prokerala, Oct. 15.