The Indian Navy has signed a strategic contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru, for the implementation of the National Maritime Domain Awareness (NMDA) Project. The agreement, aimed at enhancing maritime and coastal security, was formalised in the presence of Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, and Manoj Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of BEL.
The NMDA Project represents a critical step in strengthening India’s maritime surveillance and intelligence capabilities. At its core, the initiative seeks to establish a more integrated and responsive system for data collation, analysis, and information dissemination across multiple maritime stakeholders, including defence, intelligence, coastal police, and other national agencies.
A key component of the project is the upgrade of the existing National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network into the more advanced NMDA Network. This modernisation will incorporate artificial intelligence–driven software to enhance the speed, accuracy, and predictive capabilities of threat analysis across India’s vast maritime domain.
As part of this transformation, the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) located in Gurugram—currently the nodal hub of the NC3I Network—will be restructured into a Multi-Agency NMDA Centre. This upgraded facility will house representatives from various government departments and intelligence bodies to foster real-time coordination, improve situational awareness, and enable swift response to emerging maritime threats.
The project is designed to be executed on a ‘Turnkey Basis,’ with BEL responsible for the end-to-end delivery under the administrative oversight of the Indian Navy. By bringing together technology, inter-agency collaboration, and defence infrastructure under a unified framework, the NMDA Project is poised to be a cornerstone in India’s maritime defence strategy.
This initiative aligns with India’s broader objective of safeguarding its maritime interests and ensuring robust coastal defence amid evolving security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region.
