The 12th edition of DefExpo, taking place from October 18 to October 22, 2022 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat is the first ever four venue format which promises to engage the public and inspire them to join the Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sector; for ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in Defence where Defence Secretary of India Shri Ajay Kumar has urged officials to strive towards making DefExpo22 a grand success with focus on business and export promotion of indigenous defence platforms & products.
In light of this year’s theme at DefExpo, ‘Indigenisation for Aatmanirbharta’, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has awarded the contract for Design & Indigenous Development of Night Vision Goggles for LUH to MKU Ltd, a Global Defence and Homeland Security Solutions Company headquartered out of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This marks the first time the ANVG will not be imported from a foreign country.
The revolutionary device powered by Gen 3 technology, will be developed under the fast-emerging and highly esteemed Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC). HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a new-generation multi-role rotorcraft designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Armed Forces, designed to meet both military and civilian needs.
It can perform multiple missions such as surveillance, reconnaissance, rescue, medical evacuations, and cargo/troop transport. Up until now, the Aviation Night Vision Goggles for the LUH were procured by Elbit Systems, headquartered in Israel.
The contract was awarded to Ms. Prachi Gupta, CEO Netro Optronics at MKU Ltd by Defence Secretary Shri Ajay Kumar and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman Shri Mihir Kanti Mishraji.
A leading solutions provider for advanced optronic and ballistic protection solutions for soldiers and platforms, MKU Ltd has a footprint in 100 countries, across 230 forces, garnering INR 800 Crores in Defence Exports in the last 3 years.
The company has made the news multiple times in the past year, for delivering 1000+ night vision devices to the Indian Armed Forces, developing the highly acclaimed “Veer” Helmet (A Level IIIA Helmet Developed Specifically for Sikhs serving in the Army, with special contours), Successfully Delivering India’s Largest Ballistic Helmet Contract of 150,000 Helmets.
The Aviation Night Vision Goggle Gen3 ANVG smartly designed for aircraft pilots, enabling effective navigation while flying at very low altitudes to avoid detection in high threat environments or while taking off and landing in pitch dark conditions.
The Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), a regulatory body under DRDO, vested with the responsibility of Airworthiness Certification will be testing the Gen3 ANVG prototype.