BEL signs contract with Indian Navy to supply laser dazzlers

The Bharat Electronics Limited signed a contract with the Indian Navy on Thursday to supply 20 laser dazzlers, a non-lethal weapon for warning and stopping suspicious vehicles, boats and aircraft.

The Defence Ministry in a statement said that this weapon has been indigenously designed and developed for the first time, and it also "dazzles and distracts aircraft/UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)".

It stated that the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) had earlier in December won the contract to supply the laser dazzlers to the Indian Navy.

"It (laser dazzlers) is capable of dazzle and thereby, suppress the person's/optical sensor's action with disability glare in case of non-compliance to orders. It disorients/ confuses/blinds a person temporarily. It also dazzles and distracts aircraft/UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)," the statement said. These weapons would be manufactured in the BEL's plant in Pune.

"The BEL has signed a contract with the Indian Navy for initially supplying 20 Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation Dazzlers (laser dazzlers) in New Delhi today," the statement said.