Bharat Electronics Limited and Esri India Join Hands to Strengthen India’s Defence Capabilities

New Delhi, 3^rd August 2026: Esri India, the market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping solutions in India, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navratna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Defence, to collaborate on defence projects and programs involving GIS, Location Intelligence and GeoAI.

BEL and Esri India have already delivered projects for the Indian defence services. This MoU will further strengthen the collaboration.

Under the MoU, Esri India and BEL will jointly pursue opportunities in the defence sector by combining BEL’s deep domain expertise in defence electronics and systems integration with Esri India’s GIS, location intelligence and GeoAI capabilities. The two organisations will also work together to ensure the timely availability and deployment of GIS solutions to meet urgent, surge-driven operational requirements across India’s defence initiatives. Esri India will also extend training support to BEL to help them build in-house capability in GIS and GeoAI on its ‘Indo ArcGIS’ platform.

Agendra Kumar, Managing Director, Esri India, said, “Geospatial intelligence has evolved from being a support capability to becoming a strategic decision advantage in defence, enabling commanders to see, analyse and respond with greater speed and precision. As AI becomes deeply integrated into defence ecosystems, the convergence of GIS and GeoAI will play an increasingly critical role in building resilient, mission-ready capabilities. Our collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited is an important step towards advancing indigenous geospatial innovation, strengthening national capability and equipping India’s defence services with trusted, future-ready location intelligence and operational support aligned with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.“

The MoU is aligned with the Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, with both organisations committing to leverage indigenous capability and technology-sharing to serve the requirements of India’s defence establishment.

Rajnish Sharma, Director (BC) & Addl. Charge Director (Mktg), Bharat Electronics Limited, said, “Bharat Electronics Limited has always focused on delivering advanced indigenous technologies for national security. Our partnership with Esri India brings together BEL’s expertise in defence systems and Esri India’s leadership in GIS, enabling us to develop next-generation geospatial solutions that empower defence forces with actionable intelligence, improved operational coordination, and superior situational awareness.”

About Bharat Electronics Limited

BEL, a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Defense, Government of India, is a leader in India’s defense and strategic electronics sector. BEL is a multi-product, multi-technology, and multi-unit enterprise with a portfolio of over 600 products spanning the domains of Communications, Electro-Optics products, Turnkey Solutions, Satcom Systems, Solar Photovoltaic Products, Strategic Electronic Components and Civilian Products and has established an excellent manufacturing infrastructure coupled with R&D eco-system which makes BEL one among the leaders in new product development. BEL is working in the fields of IoT, Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics, Network Management Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Cities, Mission Critical Communication, large networks solution, Telecom and switching products, Unmanned Systems, Quantum technologies etc and has deployed many of these technologies for customers.

About Esri India

Established in 1996, Esri India Technologies Pvt. Ltd. (Esri India), the market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping solutions in India, helps customers unlock the maximum potential of their data to improve operational and business decisions. It has delivered pioneering enterprise GIS technology, powered by ArcGIS, to more than 6,500 organizations in government, private, academia, and non-profit sectors. The company also offers ‘Indo ArcGIS’, a unique GIS technology, solution products, and data offering suited for government organizations. Esri India collaborates with a rich ecosystem of partner organizations to deliver GIS and location intelligence-based solutions. Headquartered in Noida (Delhi NCR), the company is distinguished by a diverse workforce, with women comprising more than 40% of its employees.