Indian Navy & BEL Sign Pact for AI-Integrated National Maritime Domain Awareness Project.
National
On July 8, 2025, the Indian Navy signed a significant agreement with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to implement the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project. This strategic initiative aims to strengthen India’s maritime security and coastal surveillance through AI-driven data integration and real-time threat monitoring.
- The agreement was signed in the presence of Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, and Manoj Jain, CMD of BEL. This partnership marks a major step toward the Indian Navy’s goal of creating a fully integrated and intelligent maritime security ecosystem.
- The NMDA Project is designed to overhaul the existing National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network by upgrading it into an AI-enabled NMDA Network. This system will allow for centralized, real-time data access across various maritime stakeholders for enhanced decision-making and coastal defense.
- The Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC), located in Gurugram, Haryana, which currently serves as the nodal center for NC3I, will be upgraded into a Multi-Agency NMDA Centre. This center will host representatives from various national agencies and ensure synchronized inter-agency maritime threat response.
Main Point :- (i) The NMDA Project will follow a “Turnkey Basis” execution model and be administered directly by the Indian Navy. It will cover coastal states, Union Territories (UTs), and key islands to provide comprehensive surveillance over India’s vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and territorial waters.
(ii) The NMDA system will also incorporate sectoral data from shipping, fishing, environmental monitoring, and rescue operations. It will serve as a unified maritime intelligence platform, capable of detecting and responding to threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling, and natural disasters in real time.
(iii) The project aligns with India’s vision for self-reliant defense technology and maritime security and will enhance operational readiness through the use of advanced AI and multi-sensor data fusion. The IMAC, jointly operated by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and BEL under the NSA, will serve as the operational heart of this upgraded surveillance infrastructure.
About Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL)
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) : Manoj Jain
Headquarters : Bengaluru, Karnataka
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