Lotus Advanced Technologies, based in Gurugram, has been given a substantial ₹640 crore contract by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to supply cutting-edge AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) maritime patrol radars that will be integrated onto the Indian Navy’s Dornier Do-228 maritime surveillance aircraft.
The agreement, which was made public in the middle of December 2025, is a strategic alliance between the defense contractor and Israel’s IAI-Elta Systems Ltd. It represents a significant turning point in India’s endeavors to bolster domestic defense production and improve maritime domain awareness throughout its extensive exclusive economic zone.
Founded in 2005, Lotus Advanced Technologies is a rapidly expanding micro, small, and medium-sized business with its headquarters located in Gurugram, Haryana. Through smart international alliances, the company has established itself as a supplier of cutting-edge aerospace and defense equipment.
The company is positioned as a reliable defense contractor within India’s developing private sector manufacturing base thanks to its modern manufacturing facilities in Uttar Pradesh and certifications from HAL, the Defence Quality Assurance Authority (DGAQA), and the aerospace quality standard AS 9100 Rev D.
The company’s relationship approach with top Israeli defense technology suppliers has culminated in this contract, which reflects the wider expansion of India-Israel defense cooperation across many platforms and systems.
Under the terms of the contract, Lotus Advanced Technologies will manufacture and integrate the IAI-Elta Systems Ltd.-developed C-Catcher ELM-2025 marine patrol radar system onto Indian Navy Dornier Do-228 aircraft.
For many years, India’s maritime surveillance operations have relied heavily on the lightweight, twin-engine turboprop Dornier Do-228. The 228-100 and 228-200 series are the two main versions of the aircraft, which is produced by HAL under license from the Swiss aerospace company RUAG. The aircraft has demonstrated its adaptability in a variety of mission profiles, such as maritime patrol, search and rescue, coastal surveillance, and environmental monitoring.
These platforms will significantly improve their operational capabilities and increase their significance in the Indian Navy’s maritime surveillance hierarchy with the addition of cutting-edge AESA radar equipment.
Using more than thirty years of operational experience with its predecessor, the ELM-2022 system, which is still the most widely used maritime surveillance radar in the world with more than 250 installations spread across 25 countries, IAI-Elta developed the C-Catcher ELM-2025 radar, the most recent generation of airborne maritime surveillance systems.
By combining state-of-the-art AESA technology using Gallium Nitride (GaN) solid-state components, electronic scanning, complex software-defined architecture, and advanced signal processing algorithms, the new radar family expands upon this tested basis. By successfully piercing clouds, rain, fog, smoke, and other environmental obscurants that would impair traditional radar systems, the radar’s operation in the X-band frequency spectrum allows for all-weather and all-visibility performance.
Through the use of Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) and Range Signature (RS) processing modes, the radar performs exceptionally well in maritime mode, detecting even small vessels in difficult sea states while still being able to function efficiently near the coast by successfully rejecting land clutter. While the radar’s anti-submarine warfare modes allow for the detection and classification of submarines and periscopes surfacing or snorkeling, its search and rescue transponder (SART) detection capabilities increases its usefulness for humanitarian missions.
The C-Catcher radar has advanced ground surveillance capabilities in addition to its maritime surveillance specialization. It can detect and track moving ground targets over large geographic areas using Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) modes and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) modes that operate in both Strip and Spot imaging configurations.
Comprehensive airspace situational awareness is provided by the system’s air-to-air surveillance capacity, which includes Track-While-Scan functionality and interaction with Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) systems. Compared to traditional mechanically scanned radar systems, the radar’s ability to seamlessly interleave between multiple operational modes—allowing simultaneous maritime, ground, and air surveillance—represents a significant technological advancement, allowing operators to conduct multi-domain surveillance missions without the time penalties associated with manual mode switching.
The Indian Navy and Coast Guard’s maritime domain awareness capabilities throughout the country’s vast maritime jurisdiction are anticipated to be significantly improved by the integration of the C-Catcher radar onto the Dornier Do-228 platform. An important region for resource exploitation, maritime trade, and national security, India’s exclusive economic zone is roughly 2.3 million square kilometers in size and extends 200 nautical miles from the continental baseline.
Due to the dispersed structure of navy and coastguard resources, this large maritime area has historically presented serious surveillance and monitoring issues. Operating from several coastal bases, the radar-equipped Dornier aircraft will offer continuous surveillance capability throughout key maritime zones, making it possible to identify surface vessels involved in piracy, illegal fishing, maritime smuggling, and other illicit activities that pose continuous threats to India’s maritime security.
Due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and the Government of India’s declared commitment to accelerating defense sector transformation, the contract announcement in mid-December 2025 coincides with an increased focus on defense acquisition and modernization within the Indian defense establishment.
