India's leading provider of microwave wireless technologies, Astra Microwave Products Ltd has won INR 570 million (USD 11.5 million) order from Israel's ELTA Systems Ltd. A group subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, ELTA is a world leader in electromagnetic sensors-based advanced defense systems for radar, electronic warfare, and communications.

The order is for the supply of microwave wireless sub-systems for India's defense radar programme. The contract is effective between November
2008 and mid-2010. Astra Microwave Products Ltd has its headquarters in Hyderabad, India. It designs, develops, and manufactures components and sub-systems for the microwave wireless communications systems used in defense, space, and civilian applications.

Prominent clients include, among others, the Defence Research Development Organization, Bharat Electronics, Hindustan Aeronautics, Bharat Dynamics, Electronics Corporation of India, the Indian Space Research Organization, Reliance Communications, Ericsson, and Tata Teleservices. B Malla Reddy, Managing Director, Astra Microwave Products stated, "The ELTA contract showcases Astra Microwave's global technological capabilities and scale of operations to meet the demand from obligations mandated by the Defence Procurement Policy."

The order from ELTA is Astra's first contract under the offset obligations clause of India's Defence Procurement Policy, 2006. The offsets clause mandates that 30% of all defense contracts worth INR 3 billion and above must be invested in the Indian defense industry by way of sourcing components, sharing technology, setting up training facilities, or using IT services. Shares in Astra Microwave were trading up 10.62 percent at 45.30 rupees on the BSE.