Nearly 98 per cent of the approved procurement will be sourced from Indian industry

New Delhi, September 7 (HS): Nearly Rs 1.10 lakh crore worth of procurement proposals for the three armed forces were approved at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday. The approvals will facilitate the procurement of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Reconnaissance Vehicles, High Mobility Vehicles, Self-Propelled Mechanical Mine Layers, Advanced Light Helicopters, Troll Tanks and Sarvatra Bridge Systems for the Indian Army. Nearly 98 per cent of the approved procurement will be sourced from Indian industry.

The grant of Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), or in-principle administrative approval, to various acquisition proposals of the armed forces will strengthen the combat capabilities of all three services by enabling them to acquire new weapons and equipment. The Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Reconnaissance Vehicles being procured for the Army will be capable of detecting, identifying, monitoring and marking contaminated or affected areas. High Mobility Vehicles will enhance operational capability, logistical support and mobility in difficult terrain. Similarly, Self-Propelled Mechanical Mine Layers will provide the forces with the requisite operational capability for rapid and responsive mine-laying in challenging terrain.

Advanced Light Helicopters will be procured for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force and will undertake challenging missions across all terrains and operational conditions. Troll Tanks and Bridge Systems will be used to provide composite crossing capabilities to combat teams during operations across different terrains.

For the Indian Navy, the Arudhra radar will be designed and developed, following which AoN has been accorded for the procurement of marine gas turbines. The Arudhra radar will replace the existing Air Route Surveillance Radars at various naval air stations, while the warship propulsion systems and mechanical mine layers will help reduce dependence on foreign vendors.

At the Defence Acquisition Council meeting, various proposals were also approved to enhance the combat capabilities of the Indian Air Force’s fighter jets, transport aircraft and helicopters. In addition, approval was granted for the procurement of Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammers and the implementation of the Defence Forces Secure Access Card System.

The Ground-Based Multi-Purpose Jammers will provide effective jamming against enemy radars, while the Defence Forces Secure Access Card System will replace the existing paper-based identity cards, passes and permits with an interoperable, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based smart card system.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar