India’s new Mountain Fire Control Radar, unveiled by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Bengaluru, marks a major boost to the country’s air-defence capabilities in high-altitude battlefields. The system is tailored for mountain terrain and comes as part of a wider push to field indigenous, AI-enabled sensors and weapons across the armed forces.
On 16 February 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited BEL’s Bengaluru facility, where he inaugurated a new Missile Integration complex, flagged off the 3rd and 4th Akash regiment combat systems, and formally unveiled the Mountain Fire Control Radar. During the visit he also remotely inaugurated BEL’s Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence (CoE-AI) in Pune and launched the company’s AI policy, underlining that future battlefield dominance will hinge on indigenous, tech‑driven solutions
What the new radar is designed to do
Official descriptions highlight the Mountain Fire Control Radar as a specialised system optimised for high‑altitude operations, where thin air, complex topography and rapidly changing weather complicate tracking and engagement of aerial threats. Positioned within India’s broader family of air‑defence fire control radars, it is intended to cue air‑defence weapons against targets such as hostile aircraft, helicopters and drones, providing precise tracking and fire‑control data under demanding conditions.
While detailed specifications have not been released, the radar sits in the same doctrinal space as earlier indigenous fire‑control systems that can operate day and night in all weather, integrate with electro‑optical sensors, and support engagement of multiple targets, suggesting a strong focus on mobility, survivability and rapid reaction in mountainous terrain. By branding it as a “mountain” radar, the Ministry of Defence is signalling that it is tuned to the needs of sectors like Ladakh and the north‑east, where radar coverage and weapon control are far more challenging than in the plains.
The radar arrives against the backdrop of sustained Chinese infrastructure build‑up and intensified aerial activity along the Line of Actual Control, where India has been consciously plugging gaps in surveillance and air defence. In 2025, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared a separate proposal for “Mountain Radars” for the Indian Air Force to improve air surveillance over mountainous borders, and the new Mountain Fire Control Radar neatly complements that push by adding a dedicated fire‑control element to the sensor‑to‑shooter chain.
Crucially, the system is part of a wider move to ensure that high‑altitude sectors are not only watched but also defended with indigenous, networked weapons, reducing dependence on imported fire‑control solutions. When paired with Akash regiments and other ground‑based air‑defence units, the radar should tighten the engagement envelope against intruding aircraft and low‑flying drones in mountain valleys, where reaction times are short and radar line‑of‑sight is often restricted.
