Defence Ministry Approves Rs 1.10 Lakh Crore Military Acquisition Proposals

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday approved capital acquisition proposals worth nearly Rs 1.10 lakh crore for the Indian armed forces. The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), or in-principle administrative approval, to various acquisition proposals of the defence forces. Of the total AoNs accorded, approximately 98 per cent of procurements will be made from the Indian Industry, according to an official statement.

For the Indian Army, approval was granted for the procurement of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Recce Vehicles, High Mobility Vehicles (HMV), Self-Propelled Mechanical Mine Layers (MML), Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs), Trawl Tanks, and Sarvatra Bridge System. The official statement said the CBRN Recce Vehicles will be capable of detecting, identifying, monitoring, and marking areas contaminated with CBRN agents.

The HMVs will enhance operational capabilities, logistic support, and mobility in challenging terrains. The MMLs will achieve the desired operational capability in terms of fast and responsive minelaying in difficult terrains. Notably, the ALHs will execute complex missions across all terrains and operational situations for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force. The Trawl Tanks and Bridge System will be utilised to provide composite crossings to fighting formations during operations in varied terrains.

For the Indian Navy, AoN was accorded for the procurement of Arudhra Radars, design & development and subsequent procurement of Marine Gas Turbines (MGT). The Arudhra Radar will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various Naval Air Stations, and MGT, a warship propulsion system, will reduce dependency on foreign vendors, the statement said. The statement further said that for the Indian Air Force, approval was granted to various proposals to enhance the war-fighting capability of fighters, transports, and helicopters.

Approval was also accorded for procuring Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammer (GBMPJ) and installing the Defence Forces Secure Access Card (DEFSAC) System. The GBMPJ will provide effective jamming against radars of adversaries, and DEFSAC will replace existing paper-based Identity Card/Passes/Permits with an interoperable Radio Frequency Identification-based smart card system, the statement said.

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