On 28 April, the Indian Ministry of Defence issued a request for proposals (RfP) for the procurement of 83 Carrier Air Defence Tracked (CADET) systems for the Indian Army.
India’s Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, had earlier granted acceptance of necessity for this procurement in March 2026. The army’s Air Defence Corps has a requirement for a common tracked platform capable of supporting mechanised formations across varied terrain.
The RfP, intended to define the Army’s General Staff Qualitative Requirements for the CADET system, follows a request for information issued in August 2024.
Under the current RfP, the Ministry of Defence will provide the Akashteer air defence control and reporting (AD C&R) system as buyer-furnished equipment. The Akashteer AD C&R system manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited made its combat debut during Operation Sindoor against Pakistan in May 2025.
At present, Akashteer is mounted in military trucks of the Indian Army, limiting its ability to operate alongside mechanised forces in difficult terrain.
Therefore, the CADET AD (C&R) command post is intended to provide real-time surveillance and targeting information to self-propelled gun and missile air defence systems of both domestic and foreign origin.
Availability of the CADET AD (C&R) system will enhance the overall mobility of air defence elements when operating alongside mechanised elements of the army in plains, deserts, semi-desert regions, mountainous terrain and high-altitude areas of up to 15,000ft. The platforms should also be transportable aboard Indian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.
The army has conceptualised the CADET system as a modular tracked chassis that can accommodate various types of sensors, weapons, command, control and communications equipment, fitted internally or externally. This equipment will either be specified as buyer-nominated or buyer-furnished equipment.
Future variants could incorporate equipment such as counter-unmanned aerial system and counter-swarm drone systems. The CADET could also be nominated by the army as buyer-nominated equipment for other self-propelled air defence requirements.
The RfP calls for deliveries to commence within 36 months of advance payment. An indigenous content ratio of 65% has been specified. The procurement will be split 60:40 between the lowest (L1) and second-lowest (L2) bidders.
The L1 vendor is to supply 50 systems, while the L2 vendor will need to supply 33 systems. If the L2 vendor is unable to proceed with the contract, all 83 systems will be delivered by the first vendor.
by Atul Chandra
