Sanlayan Wins ₹70-Crore-Plus Uttam AESA Radar Order as Indigenous Defence Electronics Portfolio Expands

Bengaluru-based defence electronics company Sanlayan Technologies has secured a production order worth more than ₹70 crore linked to India’s indigenous Uttam Active Electronically Scanned Array radar programme, marking an important transition for the young company from development-intensive defence electronics work towards series production for major Indian military programmes.

The order has emerged alongside a broader expansion of Sanlayan’s activities across radar systems, electronic warfare, counter-drone technology, avionics, RF and microwave electronics, embedded systems and high-power electronics. Recent company-linked disclosures also indicate that Sanlayan has received development work associated with a next-generation DRDO drone-detection radar and electronic-warfare payloads intended for unmanned platforms.

The precise subsystem being supplied under the ₹70-crore-plus Uttam order has not been publicly identified, and neither DRDO nor HAL has so far issued a detailed public contract announcement specifying Sanlayan’s scope. The development should therefore be understood as Sanlayan securing production work within the Uttam AESA radar programme rather than an order to manufacture the complete radar system.

Uttam Is Becoming a Major Indigenous Fighter-Radar Programme

The importance of the order stems from the scale and strategic role of the Uttam AESA radar, which has been developed principally by DRDO’s Electronics and Radar Development Establishment in Bengaluru as an indigenous airborne fire-control radar for Indian combat aircraft.

Unlike older mechanically scanned radars, an Active Electronically Scanned Array uses numerous individual transmit-receive elements to steer its radar beam electronically. This allows the beam to change direction extremely rapidly without physically rotating the entire antenna and gives AESA technology important advantages in target tracking, reliability, electronic agility and simultaneous operation in different modes.

Uttam is intended to provide the fighter with multi-target detection and tracking capabilities across air-to-air and air-to-surface missions, while contributing to the broader effort to reduce dependence on imported airborne sensors.

The radar has acquired even greater industrial significance following India’s September 2025 order for 97 additional LCA Tejas Mk1A aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The Ministry of Defence specifically identified the indigenous Uttam AESA radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach and indigenous control-surface actuators among the advanced Indian-developed systems to be integrated into these aircraft.

That ₹62,370-crore contract covers 68 single-seat fighters and 29 twin-seat aircraft, with deliveries scheduled to begin during 2027-28 and continue over six years. The Ministry of Defence expects the aircraft to contain more than 64% indigenous content and has identified nearly 105 Indian companies as direct participants in the wider production ecosystem.

The transition of Uttam from a radar-development project into a production programme therefore has implications far beyond DRDO itself. Series production requires a network of Indian suppliers capable of manufacturing RF electronics, power systems, signal-processing equipment, mechanical assemblies and other specialised radar components at consistent aerospace quality.

Sanlayan’s new production order appears to place the company within this expanding domestic radar supply chain.

From Imported Radar Technology Towards Indigenous AESA Capability

India has operated fighter aircraft equipped with imported radars for decades, and even the initial LCA Mk1A production strategy relied on foreign AESA technology while indigenous development matured.

A domestic AESA radar is strategically valuable because the radar is one of the most important mission systems aboard a modern combat aircraft. It determines how effectively the fighter can search for, identify and track targets and directly influences the employment of beyond-visual-range weapons.

Control over the radar architecture also gives the country greater freedom to integrate indigenous weapons, electronic-warfare systems and future software upgrades without being completely dependent on a foreign original-equipment manufacturer.

The Ministry of Defence’s decision to specifically include Uttam in the subsequent 97-aircraft Mk1A order demonstrates that the radar is expected to become a major component of the next phase of Tejas production.

For companies entering its manufacturing chain, that creates the possibility of recurring production rather than purely prototype-oriented research contracts. It can also create capabilities that can later be transferred to other airborne, ground-based and naval radar programmes.

Sanlayan Expands Into DRDO Drone-Detection Radar Development

The Uttam programme is only one part of Sanlayan’s recent radar activity. The company says it has also secured development orders for critical subsystems associated with a next-generation DRDO drone-detection radar.

Small unmanned aircraft have become one of the most difficult targets for conventional air-surveillance systems. Their limited size, low operating altitude and relatively small radar cross-section can make them considerably more challenging to detect than conventional aircraft.

Drone-detection radars therefore require specialised signal processing and the ability to distinguish small, slow-moving airborne targets from birds, ground clutter and other environmental interference.

India’s growing requirement for counter-unmanned aircraft systems has consequently created a substantial domestic market for compact radars, passive RF detectors, electro-optical tracking systems, electronic jammers and integrated command-and-control networks.

Sanlayan has already been developing technology in this field. The company disclosed earlier field trials of an indigenous Counter-Unmanned Aerial System integrating a passive detection module, RF-jamming capability and command-and-control system. According to Sanlayan, those trials validated both detection and jamming performance under field conditions.

The newer DRDO development work indicates that the company is attempting to move beyond an individual counter-drone product towards participation in national radar-development programmes.

Electronic-Warfare Payloads for Unmanned Aircraft

Sanlayan has simultaneously received development work involving electronic-warfare systems for unmanned platforms, another area becoming increasingly important in modern warfare.

Unmanned aircraft are evolving from relatively simple reconnaissance platforms into distributed electronic-warfare assets capable of detecting hostile emitters, locating communication systems and potentially carrying jamming or electronic-support payloads.

Putting EW equipment aboard drones creates several advantages. An unmanned platform can approach closer to an adversary’s radar or communications network without exposing a crewed aircraft, while multiple drones can potentially operate cooperatively to map the electromagnetic environment across a much wider area.

However, airborne EW payloads for small unmanned platforms must also be compact, lightweight and power-efficient. Designing RF receivers, processors, antennas and electronic countermeasure systems within tight size, weight and power limitations is therefore a significant engineering challenge.

Sanlayan describes electronic warfare, RF and microwave systems, embedded computing and high-efficiency power electronics as central parts of its technology portfolio. Its management has also spoken publicly about developing drone-based EW suites, electronic-support measures, direction-finding systems, high-power solid-state amplifiers and other technologies relevant to spectrum warfare.

The new development orders could consequently provide an important pathway for these capabilities to move from internal research towards operational military programmes.

TDF Jammer-Pod Subsystem Completes Flight Trials

Another notable milestone involves an indigenous airborne jammer-pod subsystem developed through the Ministry of Defence’s Technology Development Fund programme.

Sanlayan says the subsystem has been handed over following successful flight trials, completing the TDF development project. Recent industry reporting describes the system as intended to contribute to airborne electronic-warfare and self-protection jamming applications.

Airborne jammer pods are used to transmit carefully controlled electronic signals intended to interfere with or deceive hostile radar systems. They can improve aircraft survivability by degrading an adversary’s ability to detect, track or engage the aircraft effectively.

Such equipment has historically been technologically demanding because it requires wideband RF receivers, high-power transmitters, sophisticated signal processing and highly reliable operation within the harsh vibration, temperature and electromagnetic environment of a combat aircraft.

Developing individual indigenous subsystems in this area is therefore significant even when a company is not responsible for an entire jammer pod.

Sanlayan’s co-founder Rahul Vamshidhar has described the programme as contributing to localisation of airborne active self-protection jammers and wider EW systems, while highlighting the company’s work on high-power amplifiers, wideband RF tuners, direction-finding systems and other electronic-warfare technologies.

New Bengaluru Facility Dedicated to Radar and Electronic Warfare

The company is also expanding the physical infrastructure required to support these programmes.

Sanlayan has opened a new approximately 20,000-square-foot facility in Bengaluru’s Electronic City focused on radar and electronic-warfare activities. Recent company-linked disclosures say more than 100 engineers have also been added across areas including systems engineering, radio-frequency technology and artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The investment reflects the specialised nature of defence electronics development. Radar and EW products require more than conventional electronics assembly capacity. Development teams need RF laboratories, antenna and microwave testing infrastructure, high-speed digital electronics capability, environmental testing and sophisticated software and signal-processing expertise.

Bengaluru provides a particularly strong environment for such work because it already hosts DRDO radar laboratories, HAL, Bharat Electronics, aerospace research organisations and a substantial private defence-electronics supply chain.

Sanlayan itself is headquartered in Bengaluru and describes its core specialisations as radar systems, electronic warfare, RF design, avionics, software-defined radios, embedded electronics and aerospace indigenisation.

Company Turns Profitable as Defence Programmes Move Into Production

The defence-electronics expansion is also beginning to appear in Sanlayan’s financial performance.

Recent company-linked reporting indicates that Sanlayan generated approximately ₹125 crore in operating revenue during FY2025-26, compared with around ₹22 crore in the previous year, while turning profitable with net profit of approximately ₹25 crore. Total reported income was about ₹139.6 crore.

The company ended FY2025-26 with an order backlog of approximately ₹286 crore and has cited a confirmed opportunity pipeline exceeding ₹2,000 crore. These figures are company disclosures rather than Ministry of Defence procurement totals and should therefore be interpreted as Sanlayan’s own assessment of contracted and prospective business.

The rapid increase in revenue is noteworthy because Sanlayan was founded only in 2023. Unlike many defence startups built around a single platform, the company has pursued a broader electronics strategy spanning radar, EW, avionics, embedded computing and power systems.

Its customers and development partners are reported to include HAL, Bharat Electronics, DRDO, the Indian Armed Forces and private-sector defence system integrators, placing the company within both public-sector and private defence supply chains.

Anti-Submarine Warfare Transmitter Under Trial

Sanlayan is also attempting to expand from airborne and land-based electromagnetic systems into naval applications.

The company says it has developed an anti-submarine warfare transmitter that is currently undergoing trials. Company-linked reporting has associated successful productionisation of this technology with a potential opportunity of approximately ₹1,500 crore, although this represents a prospective market opportunity rather than an awarded order.

Anti-submarine warfare electronics are a particularly specialised field because locating submarines requires sophisticated acoustic sensing, signal processing and underwater communication technologies.

If Sanlayan’s technology successfully completes evaluation and moves into production, it would add a significant naval-electronics dimension to a portfolio currently centred heavily on radar and electromagnetic-spectrum systems.

However, until trials are completed and an acquisition contract is announced, the ₹1,500-crore figure should not be described as confirmed business.

Private Industry Taking a Larger Role in Indian Radar Programmes

Sanlayan’s growth illustrates a broader transformation within India’s defence electronics sector.

Major radar programmes were historically dominated by DRDO laboratories and large public-sector companies such as Bharat Electronics. These organisations remain central to radar development and production, but a growing number of specialist private companies are now supplying critical RF, digital and signal-processing subsystems.

This model allows DRDO and system integrators to draw on a much larger industrial base while creating companies capable of carrying specialised technologies across several defence programmes.

The Uttam radar programme is particularly important in this respect because fighter-aircraft production requires extremely high standards of reliability, quality assurance and configuration control.

Once private suppliers qualify for production on such a programme, the industrial capability developed can potentially support future airborne radars and other high-performance electronic systems.

This becomes increasingly important as India moves towards larger indigenous programmes including Tejas Mk1A, LCA Mk2 and future combat-aircraft development.

Uttam Order Connects Sanlayan With a Long Production Run

The 97-aircraft Tejas Mk1A order signed in September 2025 gives the Uttam radar programme a particularly important production foundation.

The Ministry of Defence expects deliveries under that contract to begin in 2027-28 and continue for six years, creating sustained demand for radar systems and their associated Indian-made components.

The order is in addition to the earlier 83-aircraft Mk1A procurement programme, although radar configurations across different batches have evolved as the indigenous system has progressed through testing and certification.

For Sanlayan, participation in the Uttam supply chain therefore represents more than a one-off research assignment. A production order indicates that at least some of the company’s technology has progressed sufficiently to support manufacturing requirements linked to an operational fighter programme.

The ₹70-crore-plus value is substantial for a company of Sanlayan’s present size and provides evidence of the growing role being played by specialist private firms within India’s aerospace electronics ecosystem.

Building Sovereign Capability in the Electromagnetic Spectrum

The common thread linking Sanlayan’s projects is the electromagnetic spectrum.

A fighter AESA radar uses electromagnetic energy to detect and track targets. A drone-detection radar searches for small unmanned aircraft. Electronic-support systems detect hostile emissions, while jammers transmit signals intended to disrupt them. Counter-drone systems combine detection, tracking and electronic attack to protect airspace around sensitive installations.

Control of this spectrum has become increasingly important in modern warfare because military forces depend heavily on radar, satellite navigation, wireless communications and data links.

An army or air force can possess advanced missiles and aircraft yet still operate at a disadvantage if an adversary can detect its emissions, disrupt its communications or deny access to the electromagnetic spectrum.

India has consequently placed increasing emphasis on indigenous radar and EW technology, where reliance on imported systems can create both supply-chain vulnerabilities and restrictions on modification or integration.

Sanlayan’s expanding portfolio is situated directly within this strategic requirement.

From Startup to Production-Scale Defence Electronics Company

The ₹70-crore-plus Uttam AESA programme order is therefore significant not simply because of its monetary value but because it signals Sanlayan’s movement from a relatively young defence startup towards a production participant in one of India’s flagship indigenous combat-aircraft programmes.

At the same time, its development work on a next-generation drone-detection radar, unmanned electronic-warfare payloads and a flight-tested jammer-pod subsystem gives the company exposure to several of the technologies becoming central to contemporary warfare.

The opening of a dedicated Bengaluru radar and EW facility and rapid expansion of its engineering workforce suggest that Sanlayan is attempting to build these capabilities as a sustained industrial business rather than around a single contract.

Sanlayan’s emergence within that ecosystem provides another indication that India’s defence-indigenisation strategy is beginning to create a deeper layer of specialist private-sector companies capable of developing and manufacturing sophisticated radar and electronic-warfare subsystems alongside the country’s established defence laboratories and public-sector manufacturers.

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Source: Image Courtesy: sanlayan.com

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