Good news for Indian Army, Rs 640 cr contract inked for 1.86L bullet-proof jackets

The long-pending demand of the Indian Army for more than 1.86 lakh bullet-proof jackets should finally be met soon with the Defence Ministry on Monday signing a contract worth nearly Rs 640 crore for their procurement. In a statement, the ministry said the contract was finalised after “successful” field evaluation trials. The contract has been bagged by indigenous defence manufacturer SMPP Pvt Ltd, under the Make in India policy for the jackets. The bullet-proof jackets currently in Army’s possession are heavy and not good enough to provide protection to all organs.

The Army said that new jackets will have modular parts providing protection and flexibility to infantry soldiers in different operational situations ranging from long distance patrolling to high risk room intervention scenarios. The new jackets will provide 360 degree protection to the soldier in combat, including from latest hard steel core bullets.

“The impending requirement of the Army for effective BPJs, has been met after successful conduct of stringent field evaluation trials,” the Army said in a statement on Monday.

(Source: DNA)