Amara Raja Design Alpha (ARDA), a specialised engineering R&D firm and a part of the $2 Bn Amara Raja Group, has developed an indigenous Power Conditioning Cabinet (PCC) for naval sonar systems, marking the company’s first deliverable in mission-critical defence electronics. About 61% of system’s components will be indigenous, enabling around 40% cost efficiencies through advanced power engineering and local manufacturing. In the next phase, ARDA will expand into the design of Power Amplifiers, Signal Interfaces and Power Amplifier Cabinets, helping build a comprehensive indigenous ecosystem for naval sonar systems. The initiative represents a meaningful contribution by a private sector technology company to India’s growing naval indigenisation efforts.
The units developed by ARDA will comply with global standards such as MIL-STD-901D and MIL-STD-461 for EMI/EMC and shock, ensuring reliability in demanding naval environments. The PCC will support loads of up to 160 kW, delivering stable, high-reliability power distribution for sonar systems, where acoustic detection equipment requires extremely high power quality during sustained maritime operations.
The announcement comes at a strategically significant moment. The Indian Navy’s budget has grown from ₹49,623 crore in 2020–21 to over ₹1,03,548 crore in 2025–26, reflecting India’s expanding investment in maritime capability. Within this architecture, sonar systems form a critical layer of underwater surveillance and anti-submarine warfare across the Navy’s fleet.
“We are excited that our expertise in electronics and power system design and manufacturing can contribute directly to our nation’s defence systems,” said Dr. Suresh Nair, MD, ARDA. “This development reflects our commitment to building deep, long-term capability in strategically important technologies alongside India’s defence research institutions.”
ARDA’s development is also notable for its location. The company operates from Infopark, Kochi, the same city that is home to DRDO’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), India’s premier institution for sonar research and development. NPOL has been the anchor of India’s sonar technology programme for decades, and the emergence of a private-sector design capability in the same ecosystem represents a natural deepening of the indigenous technology base that the government has been actively encouraging.
