Defence ministry clears procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 crore

The defence ministry on Friday approved the procurement of military hardware worth Rs 84,560 crore, including multi-mission maritime aircraft, to improve the armed forces' overall combat capabilities. The procurement proposals were approved by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

The DAC approved proposals for new generation anti-tank mines, air defence tactical control radar, heavy-weight torpedoes, medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission maritime aircraft, flight refueller aircraft, and software-defined radios.

According to the defence ministry, the DAC approved the procurement of medium-range maritime reconnaissance and multi-mission maritime aircraft to strengthen the Indian Navy and Coast Guard's surveillance and interdiction capabilities.

A proposal to purchase air defence tactical control radar was also approved, with the goal of strengthening air defence systems, particularly the ability to detect slow, small, and low-flying targets, according to the statement.

The defence ministry said, "In order to enhance the operational efficiency and domination in the tactical battle area for engaging targets that are beyond visual line of sight by the mechanised forces, the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category has been accorded for procurement of canister launched anti-armour loiter munition system."

The ministry added that the DAC accorded AoN for procurement of Flight Refueller Aircraft for enhancing the operational capabilities and reach of the Indian Air Force.

Furthermore, it added, "To create a friendly defence start-up ecosystem and promote procurement of Advanced technologies from start-ups and MSMEs developed under the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) and Technology Development Fund schemes, the DAC has approved amendments in the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 w.r.t. benchmarking and cost computation, payment schedule, procurement quantity etc. This will provide the much-needed incentive along with a supportive business environment for the start-ups and MSMEs under iDEX and TDF schemes, truly in the spirit of ‘Ease of Doing Business’."