India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has granted Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital procurement proposals worth about Rs2.12tn ($22.29bn), covering equipment and platforms for the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The approvals, announced after a 26 October meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, constitute in-principle administrative clearance rather than final contracts.
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The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said about 82% of the proposed procurement by value would be sourced from Indian industry.
For the Indian Army, the council cleared requirements including high-mobility vehicles, self-propelled tracked gun systems, light multi-role helicopters, very short-range air-defence systems (VSHORADS) and counter-uncrewed aerial systems.
Other proposals for the Army include a gun-shot response system, long-range uncrewed aerial and surveillance systems, an integrated surveillance and strike system, and a long-range kamikaze drone system.
The ministry said the tracked artillery system is intended to give mechanised formations mobility and firepower, while the gun-shot response system would provide real-time situational awareness.
The planned surveillance and drone systems are intended to support targeting and surveillance activity.
The light multi-role helicopter procurement is to serve both the Army and Air Force.
According to the ministry, the aircraft would be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, combat missions, search and rescue, troop transport, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
The DAC also cleared naval requirements, including an Active Offboard Decoy System and other major platforms. The decoy system is intended to support anti-missile defences against anti-ship missiles, while the proposed platforms would be designed and built in India.
For the Air Force, the approvals cover helicopters, air-defence systems, weapons and mobile X-band Doppler weather radar systems.
The ministry said special utility helicopters would address air-transport requirements, and the radars would provide localised, high-resolution weather surveillance in forward areas.
The decision follows earlier procurement clearances this year. In July, the council gave initial approval to proposals valued at about Rs520bn.
In March, it approved procurements estimated at Rs2.38tn, including air-defence tracked systems, armour-piercing tank ammunition, high-capacity radio relays, Dhanush gun systems and runway-independent aerial surveillance systems.
