India Meteorological Department adopted radar technology for meteorological applications in the early 50s.The first indigenously designed and manufactured x-band storm detection radar was installed in 1970 at New Delhi.

An integrated upper air sounding system comprising X - Band weather cum wind finding Multimet radar and radiosonde system (401 mhz ), designed and produced indigenously, was introduced in 1975 in IMD at Bangalore.

The first S-Band cyclone detection radar became operational at Visakhapatnam in 1970.The first indigenous S-Band cyclone detection radar was commissioned in Mumbai in 1980.

IMD now has a network of 10 S-Band cyclone detection radars covering the Indian Coast line. Six numbers in the East Coast and four numbers in West Coast.

IMD’s network of X - Band radars consists of 29 radars comprising of 12 Storm Detection Radars (SDRs) and 17 Dual Purpose (Weather cum wind finding) radar.

IMD plans to replace all the existing old generation radars with state-of-art S-Band DWRs in a phased manner.

IMD has already installed 4 nos. S-Band imported DWRs at Chennai(2002), Kolkata(2003), Machilipatnam (2004) & Visakhapatnam(2006) replacing the old generation S-Band cyclone detection radars at these places.

IMD has also installed one indigenous Doppler Weather Radar at Sriharikota (AP) in 2004, it was developed under MoU with ISRO Bangalore.

India Meteorological Department has a plan to install 2 more indigenous S-Band DWRs at Bhuj and Kochi to be developed by M/s BEL, Bangalore.

Under First Phase of modernisation, IMD also has a plan to replace old S–Band Cyclone detection Radar by S–Band Doppler Weather Radar at 12 locations namely Mumbai, Paradip, Nagpur, Patna, Lucknow, Patiala, Karaikal, Bhopal, Agartala, Mohanbari, Delhi and Goa.