The Indian Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved proposals worth $3.59bn (Rs287.32bn) to procure arms, including swarm drones, bulletproof jackets, and carbines.
In a meeting chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals of the armed forces.
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According to the Defence Ministry, the AoN seeks to achieve self-reliance in Defence under the Buy (Indian Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) and Buy (Indian) categories.
The DAC gave approval for the Indian Army’s proposals to buy Defence Research and Development Organisation-developed (DRDO) Guided Extended Range Rocket Ammunition, Area Denial Munition Type I, and Infantry Combat Vehicle-Command.
The three proposals are valued at $1.07bn (Rs85.99bn).
While Guided Extended Range Rocket Ammunition offers a range of 75km, the Aerial Denial Munition is capable of neutralising tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
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By GlobalDataThe Infantry Combat Vehicle – Command supports commanders with real-time information.
Rajnath Singh tweeted: “Considering the demand for enhanced protection against the threat of enemy snipers to our troops deployed along the Line of Control, and in close combat operations in counter-terrorism scenarios, the DAC accorded AoN for bulletproof jackets, carbines, and swarm drones.”
The procurement of bulletproof jackets and over four lakh (400,000) close-quarter battle carbines will not only strengthen the armed forces but also support the local manufacturing industry.
Acquisition of autonomous surveillance and armed drone swarms will enhance the Army’s capabilities in modern warfare.
The DAC also cleared the Navy’s proposal to buy the indigenously-developed Marine Gas Turbine Generator and 14 Fast Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard.
To further promote ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, the Defence Ministry has highlighted the need to expedite the indigenisation of Software Defined Radios (SDRs) by DRDO and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
A decision has been taken by the ministry to define and develop reference implementation of an India-specific operating environment. This is known as the India Software Communication Architecture (SCA) profile.
Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar said the process will reduce the import budget and create a secured radio network for the armed forces.
In another development, the Defence Ministry’s Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) has signed a contract with Pacify Medical Technologies.
This is the iDEX’s 100th contract for defence innovation.
So far, projects worth over $31.31m (Rs2.5bn) have been allocated under the flagship initiative.
